Shadows of past
by Sandylee007
Summary: A strange girl shows up with a horrible warning, and Kai realizes that he'll have to face the dark shadows of his past once again... Will he and his friends make it, and who is this girl? KaiOC, also other pairings included. COMPLETED!
1. Visitor

A/N: So here begins a new story, my first OC, btw. This is kinda exciting!

As a disclaimer, I only state that I own nothing but the OC stuff, not a single thing from the one and original Beyblade.

This story takes places after the events in Lake Baikal, before the World championships.

About pairings, read this, **a warning inside**: KaOC, KenEm, many others but also light TyMa, but it should be so subtle that it can described as friendship, so don't abondon this story just for this, please!

Well, here it begins. Hope you like it.

* * *

Loud snoring was the only voice in the Russian hotel-room as the Bladebrakers were resting after a hard day of training. They'd all fallen into the bed and been asleep before their heads even hit the pillows as soon as they'd came back to the hotel.

All except for one, that is.

Standing by the window, staring out where snow rain falling heavily over the autumn-coldened city, Kai had a slight frown upon his face as he wrapped his arms tightly around himself. He was just as tired as everyone else, perhaps even more so after having to yell and threaten Tyson to keep on training, and running after the incurably-lazy Dragon several times as the boy was stupid enough to think he'd be able to escape Kai. But… For some reason, Kai just couldn't sleep.

It wasn't insomnia, at least not in the most traditional meaning. Unable to understand why, Kai felt too anxious to sleep. It was like he was sensing something coming; good or bad, that he didn't know. And that feeling made him wrestles, especially now that they were in Russia, where the shadows of his grandfather and Boris were haunting him wherever he went.

' _You seem troubled, Master_', Dranzer's voice suddenly echoed in his mind.

Kai's frown deepened. ' _I'm not sure why, but… I feel that something's happening_'.

And as if to confirm his words, there was a quick, frantic knock on the door. Kai tensed, the gaze of his burgundy eyes shooting at the door.

' _Be careful!_' Dranzer warned him, sounding deeply worried.

Kai smirked slightly, approaching the door. ' _Whenever have I not been?_'.

Dranzer made an irritated sound and sighed. ' _I don't even bother answering to that one_'.

By then Kai was at the door, debuting whether to open it or not. Suddenly he heard steps and doors opening as his teammates had apparently woken up by the knock.

" Who the heck dares to show up at this hour?" Tyson, whose arms were around extremely drowsy-looking Max's waist, yawned, sounding irritated.

Having some dark ideas of his own, Kai reached his hand out to open up the door. _Let's find out._

As soon as he cautiously opened the door, something feel into his arms, and without his fast reflexes strained to their extreme, 'the thing' would've fallen roughly to the floor. For a long moment, they all stared at the quivering hump in Kai's arms, speechless.

" It's… it's a girl", Max finally stammered, bewildered.

Not bothering to retort the somewhat unintelligent comment, Kai carefully kneeled down to the floor, gingerly holding the girl. Investigating her condition, he discovered that she wasn't doing too well. Her wounds weren't that bad: some bigger and smaller bruises, cuts and wounds, three or so longer and deeper lacerations in her arms. She was drenched wet and exhausted, so badly that she'd collapsed, her breathing sounded ragged and she was alarmingly pale, and apparently she was also cold as she was shivering like a leaf in his arms. She was in a need of a lot of rest, Kai realized. But despite her condition, he reluctantly found himself thinking she was beautiful. She was wearing a pair of black fingerless gloves, a midnight-blue top (a ridiculous choice of garment in such weather) and black leather-pants. Her deep-purple hair fell a long way down her back.

Shaking the thoughts of her looks out of his head, he carefully shook her, trying to wake her up to ask some questions. " Hey, can you hear me?". He shook her again, a bit more forcefully this time, and gradually she opened her sapphire-blue eyes and gaped at him, seeming disoriented. " Can you hear me? Can you talk?".

" Y – yes…", she whispered. " Sleep…".

Kai nodded, relieved to hear her speak. " I know you're tired, but try to stay awake for a little while longer, 'k?".

The other Bladebrakers gave each other astonished looks. Never before had they seen this soft, tender side of their captain.

" What's your name?" Kai asked the girl, who was just barely remaining her consciousness.

" D – Dara".

" Dara", Kai repeated, suddenly puzzled. That name… It sounded so familiar to him… Shaking the thought away, he focused on the girl once again. " Do you know where you are?".

Dara nodded weakly. " Y – yes… The Bla – Bladebrakers… Had… to… w – warn…". She winced, obviously in pain. " H – hurts…".

Kai's mind was a whir. What had this girl came to warn them about? " Who hurt you?". He could see that she was passing out again. " Dara, who hurt you!".

Her eyes slipped closed. " U – uncle…". Then she was out, falling limp into Kai's arms.

For a while, the gang stared at the unconscious girl, not quite sure of what to do with her.

" What should we do?" Ray finally voiced, seeming confused.

Standing up with Dara still in his arms, Kai gave them a stern look. They were all amazed to see that his mask had slipped just a little, allowing them to see that he was worried about the girl. Giving a small grunt, he walked pass them towards the room he and Ray shared. " She needs rest, and we can't kick her out on the street in this condition. I'll let her sleep in my bed for tonight".

" Then where are you going to sleep?" Tyson asked, but the door of the room already closed after Kai.

About an hour later, after tending Dara's wounds and making sure she was warm, Kai emerged the room with a yawn. The others had already gone back to bed, deciding that there was no reason to stay awake since Dara couldn't answer their questions before she'd wake up. Even Ray didn't seem to mind too much sleeping in the same room with the girl for one night.

Standing still, Kai's eyes suddenly picked something on the floor, glittering in the pale moonlight. Frowning, he approached and discovered that the mysterious object was in fact a blade.

_Probably Dara's_, he realized.

Taking the blade into his hand, he carefully studied it. It was the same deep shade of purple as Dara's hair with some black stripes, and seemed impressively strong. Looking more closely, he noticed that it had a bit-chip with a picture of a magnificent, emerald-eyed black panther. Kai lifted an eyebrow.

_So this girl can control a bit-beast…_

Suddenly he found himself shivering as he realized that the bit-beast – the entire blade, actually – seemed alarmingly familiar to him. His shivering became even more violent when he understood that he _had_ came across this blade – and Dara – before.

" Zeba…", he whispered and brushed the bit-chip with his fingertip, memories flooding into his mind.

/ _" Dranzer, ATTACK!"._

" _Zeba! PANTHER'S BITE!"._

_With a deafening roar, the black panther attacked the phoenix._ /

Kai gasped and stared at the blade, eyes widened. Apparently it wasn't just his imagination that Dara had seemed so familiar. But… Where had he seen that girl? When had he battled her? He should've been able to remember that much.

Unless…

Shaking his head with a sigh, he lifted himself standing up and stretched. He wouldn't get any answers that night, so he might as well sleep for a couple of hours before the morning would rise. Then he'd have some _serious_ questions for Dara…

With those thoughts he walked up to the couch, carefully placed the blade on the table nearby and laid down, closing his eyes. Soon enough, sleep claimed him.

Unbeknownst to Kai, Dara's blade glowed on the table for a brief moment, almost like recognizing the boy who'd held it a moment earlier, before it returned to normal.

TBC.

* * *

A/N: A new girl in town, I see. But who is she? 

Would you like me to write some more?


	2. Trust

A/N: On with second chapter! Thank you for reviews! I hope there's at least someone out there reading this second chappy…

Oh, an announcement: **The name of this fic will change** in about two or three days. Not much, tough: I'll take 'the' out of it. This will be called "Shadows of past" instead of "The Shadows of Past" from now on.

Well, now to the story.

* * *

CHAPTER 2: Trust

When Dara opened her eyes the next morning, everything was blurry for a while. The bright light of the room made her eyes hurt. She squinted at the black blob on her view.

" _Djadja_?" she rasped.

The figure cleared out a little, revealing her a raven-haired, golden-eyed boy, who looked at her with worry and suspicion in his eyes. " How are you feeling?".

She blinked and rubbed her sore eyes, then carefully got up into a sitting position. " Sore, but I'll live". Her eyes adjusting to the light, she gave the boy a quick look. " You Ray?".

He nodded, suspicion growing. " Yes. How did you know?".

She gave a dry laughter, rolling her eyes. " For the tournament, your faces are in pretty much every magazine. It's kinda hard _not_ to know you".

Ray smiled sheepishly, scratching his head. " Oh, right… Guess so…". He then walked towards the open door. " She's awake", he announced to someone.

Loud yells were heard, and Ray moved away from the door as three boys stepped in and rushed up to her bed, followed by a fourth one she couldn't see for the duo blocking her view.

" 'Bout time to wake up!" the blonde, Max as she knew, chirped, sounding far too high-pitched for her liking. She'd just woken up, for crying out loud!

" Hn", she commented, adjusting to the sounds.

" Are you alright? Feeling hungry?" the bluenette, Tyson if her memory served her right, fussed, making some flaps with his hands.

" Give the girl some space!" the third one just as nearby her, Kenny, or Chief, ordered the two, then looked at her. (Or was he looking at her? It was hard to tell when she couldn't see his eyes.) " So… Why did you came to us last night? You said you wanted to warn us about something".

Warn? Her eyes widened as she remembered. Damnit, how could she have been so careless!

" What time is it?" she asked, frantically.

Ray took a look at his watch. " Almost noon. Why?".

She cursed loudly in Russian, trying to struggle up despite the protest of her sore body. " I've stayed for too long… If uncle will notice…".

" Hey, you're not going anywhere!" Tyson ordered, forcing her back down. " Geez, you're just as stubborn as Kai!".

The name struck her, and her eyes widened.

_Kai!_

Her gaze flew to the other side of the room, landing on the familiar boy who was leaning against the wall with arms crossed over his chest, glancing at her deep in thought. A small smile found its way to her lips.

The others stared in wonder as Dara and Kai looked at each other, both having something they couldn't quite grasp onto on their faces.

" Um… Perhaps we should give them some privacy?" Ray finally suggested, in deep discomfort.

" Yeah", Tyson agreed. " That might be a smart move to make".

As the four left the room and closed the door, Kai walked up to Dara, sitting by the bed she was occupying. For a moment nothing was said, then he suddenly remembered that he had something to give her. After searching his pockets for a moment, Kai found Dara's blade and handed it to her.

" I believe this belongs to you".

" Thank you", she muttered, taking a critical eye on the blade and giving a look of relief when noticing that it wasn't damaged.

" Now… Would you care to explain me why I know you?".

Dara's eyes widened and she looked at him for a long moment, almost like pondering whether he was ready for the answer or not.

" You don't remember, do you?" she finally whispered, sounding heartbroken, squeezing her eyes tightly shut, then whispered in Russian. " You said you'd never forget…".

Kai frowned. " I… I don't understand why I should remember". For a while he gathered his

thoughts, then remembered something. " Last night, you told that your uncle hurt you. Why?".

Dara finally opened her eyes and looked at him, sapphire-eyes flaming. " Because I wanted to warn you. Voltaire… He's coming your way. Fast".

Kai felt his entire world spinning. No, no, no… Not after all this time, after all he'd done to escape that man who kept haunting him in his nightmares. No feelings, however, crosses his face. " That's not possible. He's in prison".

" No, he's not anymore". She sighed, seeming frustrated. " Look, there's no time for explanations", Dara noted sharply, then paused. She was probably still exhausted from her ordeal. " Look, my uncle was ready to kill me to keep me from coming to you. This is serious, Kai. You have to prepare yourself to take down Voltaire AND Biovolt – for good this time. Before they'll take over".

Kai stared at his hands, clenched into tight fists. Sure enough, he'd always known that this day was coming, but now that he was facing it… " How can I trust on you not being one of my Voltaire's men?".

There was a silence, and he lifted his head again to look at Dara. She had a pained look upon her face, her eyes showed something close to fear. Eventually, she shifted her top a little, revealing an old gunshot-wound between her shoulder and chest.

" Because this was what I got the last time I rebelled against Voltaire". Her eyes flashed, from both rage and pain. " And there are many other scars he's left me, most of them beneath the surface".

Kai nodded silently, remembering very well the price of defying the might of Voltaire Hiwatari.

* * *

/ _" Mama! Papa!" a seven-years old Kai cried helplessly, trying to get to them, but was restrained by Boris Balkov._

_His father, Aleksei Hiwatari, stood bravely before his wife Miyami in a protecting gesture, shielding her from his grandfather who was stood before the couple. Aleksei's auburn eyes flashed with rage. " Leave my family alone, father. You are in my house now, and I want you to be removed"._

_Kai let out a scream of terror as Voltaire hit his father hard across the face, his father stumbling back slightly by the brutal impact. " I'll show you that there's no disrespecting your elders, son"._

" _Leave our house, now", Miyami hissed through her teeth, mahogany eyes showing pure hatred towards the old man. " Leave our son alone"._

" _Kai is a Hiwatari, Miyami", Voltaire told her in an emotionless voice. " His destiny is to become my heir, and there's nothing you or my pathetic son can do about it". With those words Voltaire pulled out a gun, aiming it at Miyami's forehead. The Japanese woman gasped, eyes widening._

" _You wouldn't dare… Not in front of your grandson…"._

" _Just watch me", Voltaire reassured her._

" _NO!". Kai's heartbreaking voice echoed in the walls of the house, along with a deafening bang as the gun went off._

_But before the bullet ever touched Miyami, Aleksei moved. He whirled around, turning to face his wife with a gentle smile upon his lips. _

" _Aishiteru", he whispered and brushed her face tenderly. Miyami, tears welling into her eyes, leaned in to kiss his lips, but never made it. Aleksei's body jolted as the bullet met his back, and with a groan the Russian fell limp into her arms. _

" _No!". Miyami fell to the floor with her husband's motionless body in her arms, desperately stroking his two-toned bangs that held an unearthly glow in the silvery light of moon. Tears shone like diamonds as they escaped her eyes, her long, black hair fell to hide her face as she pulled Aleksei's body into a tight, loving embrace, shaking from sobs. " Aishiteru, Aleksei… Don't leave me, please don't leave me…"._

_Kai cried helplessly as well in Boris' irony grip. Those were the last tears he was allowed to cry for years._

_After a moment, another shot was heard, and Miyami fell limply to the floor beside her husband._ /

* * *

For a passing moment Kai closed his eyes, letting the memories wash over him. He then forced them open again, looking at Dara. " What does my grandfather want from me this time?".

" You know what he wants", Dara noted.

Kai frowned and gave a small nod, knowing that she was right.

" I know how much you want to be free, Kai. From him, from the Abbey, Biovolt, your past, your memories…". Dara trailed off for a moment. " You'll have to destroy Black Dranzer to get that. You've known it from the begin with".

Kai's eyes squinted. Black Dranzer… He hated that bit-beast, if possible, even more than his grandfather. Without it, his grandfather might've left him alone, left all those he loved alone… Because of it, he had lost everything he'd ever dared to love.

He looked at Dara once again, eyes filled with all the emotions he couldn't hold back any longer, his heart tearing apart by all the pain coming back to him. " I'm not sure if I have the strength". Kai was terrified by his words, almost angry at himself. Never before had he ever shown anyone such weakness in him, showed himself that way. But he couldn't control himself, not before this girl.

Dara seemed both stern and gentle as she took his hand, not even thinking how he might react to the touch. " I know that it scares you, but you're the only one who can do it, for you're the only one who can control Black Dranzer. It's your chore, Kai, but you won't have to do it alone".

Kai frowned as he looked into Dara's sapphire-blue eyes, a weird feeling growing inside of him. This girl before him… She was so familiar, brought him so many feelings… But why?

" I see that you have many questions, but time isn't the right for them just yet", she told him, seeing the confusion in his eyes.

He nodded, unsure, and looked at her without saying a word for a while. " How can we trust you?".

Dara smiled. " There's only one way", she told him. " I need to prove to you that I'm worthy of your trust".

Kai lifted an eyebrow. " And exactly how are you going to do that?".

Her eyes flashed as she looked at him in the eyes. " The Abbey way".

* * *

About half an hour later as the two bladers stood against each other in the building the Bladebrakers had used to practice during their stay in Russia. The rest of the gang looked on, filled with excitement, as the two lifted their launchers, ready to begin the battle.

" Remember that she's just a beginner", Tyson advised. " Give her some slack, 'k?".

Kai's eyes, locked to his opponent, flashed. " No", he muttered, more to himself than Tyson. " This one is no beginner".

" Okay, you guys ready?" Kenny asked, ready to start the countdown, and received two nods. " 'K then! 3… 2… 1…. LET IT RIP!".

And boy, they did!

Pretty much straight after hitting the bey-dish, the two blades zoomed towards each other, sparkles flying as they crushed together. After that, they spun together, separating only for a flash of a moment, giving each other nasty hits. Sparks were flying all the way.

The rest of the team watched, bewildered, barely daring to blink their eyes in fear of missing something.

" Wow!" was all Max could muster.

" Guess this girl is no beginner after all", Ray whispered, amber eyes widened.

None of them could tell for how long the match had lasted 'til they saw Dara's eyes flash.

" ZEBA!" she called, summoning her bit-beast.

" DRANZER!" Kai summoned his own phoenix, eyes burning.

" Any info on Zeba, Chief?" Tyson asked Kenny, who was squeezing Dizzy so tightly that his knuckles had turned white.

" Just a sec…". Kenny typed furiously for a moment. " Nothing what so ever". The boy sounded deeply confused. " I don't understand… There should be at least something… Unless this is the first time it's shown".

All their jaws hit the floor as the beast appeared with a majestic roar. The black panther's emerald eyes seemed to be on flames as it saw its opponent and roared again, revealing its huge claws and fangs.

Dara smirked at their astonishment. " What's wrong? Didn't expect that a little-girl could have such a beast? She's a beauty, isn't she?".

" Lets see if she has any power in those claws of hers", Kai stated through his teeth. " DRANZER! FIRE ARROW!".

" ZEBA! EMERALD TEMPEST!".

The panther roared once more, and seemed the light into a green fire as she and Dranzer stormed towards each other. As they collided, the entire practice-stadium was filled with heat and blinding red-green light. Everyone gasped as they covered their eyes from the light and flames, unable to see anything for a long moment.

Eventually the light faded, revealing the outcome of the battle. Both blades had flown off the dish, now laying motionless on the floor.

" I can't believe this!" Kenny gasped. " It's… It's a tie!".

Giving each other a long, stern look and a nod of acceptance, the bladers collected their blades back, satisfied with each other's skills.

" Find me trustworthy?" Dara asked, already knowing the answer.

" Yes", Kai replied.

Looking at the two, the rest of the gang felt deeply confused by the bond that was evident between the couple. It had taken them for so long to make Kai open up. How could that girl do it in one day? Unless…

" Guys… Do you see something familiar in Dara?" Ray whispered, making sure that the couple couldn't hear him.

" Now that you say it… She resembles kinda lot a certain Russian we know", Tyson replied, with a deep frown upon his face. " But how is that possible?".

" Unless she's an Abbey-kid as well", Kenny whispered.

The gang couldn't help but feel a slight bit of distrust and worry as they looked at the girl. Kai seemed to trust her, but… What if she was Voltaire's spy? What if she would betray them?

* * *

The same night, a small, helpless yelp of pain ran through the small, deserted park, followed by yet another kick of cruel punishment.

" This was the last time you disrespectful brat disobey Voltaire's orders", Boris Balkov hissed in Russian through his teeth, giving yet another kick to the badly bleeding boy who'd long ago fallen to the ground. The snow below the boy was stained with red.

The boy squeezed his eyes tightly shut and winced, trying desperately to block the excruciating pain away.

Stay strong… You must warn Kai before it's too late… Stay awake… He winced again. Nadja… 

" I… am not… afraid of… you…", he hissed in Russian, and used all his willpower to force his piercing-blue eyes open, darting a gaze of stone-hard determination and hatred to the man.

Boris gave him a disgusted look, and rewarded his bravery with another kick, harder than the previous ones. " You are a fool, Tala. And you know how fools are treated in the Abbey, ne?".

Boris aimed a one last kick on the barely conscious Tala, this time to his head, and watched with much satisfaction as the boy growled before falling to the ground, unconscious. He gave a disgusted snarl as the boy's blood stained his shoe.

" Ditch him into the river", he ordered the two men behind him.

" We will, Master Balkov", another one of them promised.

With that, Boris turned around and walked away without looking back. As he took out his cell-phone and dialed the numbers, a crack of ice and a splash of water were heard behind him.

" Master Voltaire? I called to report that the problem has been taken care of", he announced.

* * *

TBC?

* * *

A/N: Oh no, what's going to happen to Tala? And who exactly is Dara – or that Nadja Tala was thinking about?

Wanna read chapter three?

Well, bye at least for now! Please do review!


	3. Payback time

A/N: Back with another chapter! I hope you all found this despite the slight change of title. Now, first things first, **huge** thank-yous for all the reviews! And secondly…

Miako6 (and everyone else reading this who aren't exactly crazy about OCs), I'm sorry, but this story will be an OC one. **BUT**, before you stop reading completely… Let me remind you that love is only one aspect in this story: as this advances further, the plot goes to so much deeper than relationships, and such an amount of… stuff is revealed that I would dare you to stick around. And if nothing else helps, you can always distract yourselves with inventing couples I haven't written into the story. (grin) (Btw, I was… well, unenthusiastic about OCs as well until I read this one story that got me into them.)

Hmm… If Dara is Boris' niece… Oh, I don't think I'll answer to that one just yet. You'll have to wait and see.

But now… Let's let the story go on.

* * *

CHAPTER 3: Payback-time

Early in the next morning, Dara decided that it was time to do some explaining to the people who'd taken care of her.

" This'll better be important", Tyson growled and yawned deeply. " It's six in the morning, for crying out loud!".

" Don't be a baby, Tyson. It's not her fault you stayed up until two last night", Kai, who was leaning against the wall in his usual pose, slashed back, showing no mercy to his poor teammates.

" Do you ever sleep?" Max muttered, slumping onto the couch beside half-asleep Kenny with a huge yawn.

" What's going on?" Ray, the only one (save Kai and Dara) who seemed to be even slightly conscious, asked as he also took a seat on the crowded couch, golden eyes questioning.

Kai looked at Dara. " You tell us".

For a long time Dara hesitated, unsure of how to begin. Eventually, she decided that it was better to just show them. With a slightly trembling hand, she took off one of her gloves, revealing the letter _B_ tattooed onto the back of her hand. She heard gasps, and put the glove back on, too ashamed to meet the others' eyes. " Since I was seven, I've been raised in the Abbey. I was marked as Voltaire's property". She then looked at the boys, eyes burning. " I had to come to warn you. Voltaire escaped prison two weeks ago. It hasn't been allowed to be reported in the newspapers yet in fears that publicity might cause him to leave Russia". Her eyes flashed. " He immediately took charge of the Abbey".

" But… Didn't Kai take care of the Abbey?" Tyson inquired, seeming confused.

" With Voltaire and Boris' fortune, the unfortunately little damage he caused was easily prepared. And it's spread even further, become much stronger than before". Not giving chance to interruptions, she carried on. " Ever since Voltaire came back, he's made us all train like never before. The weakest ones almost died".

Ray frowned, obvious shock in his eyes. " Why?".

" Because he told all of us Abbey-kids to haunt down Kai". Dara looked at Kai. " He's desperate to have you reunited with Black Dranzer and help him achieve his goals". She felt a cold shivers run through her. " I refused to play manhunt. That's why he had my uncle kill me, but the task wasn't completed. I received a punishment, but my life was spared".

Where other innocent boys were didn't have a clue of the Abbey's harsh rules, she saw Kai's eyes widen slightly, as the boy knew perfectly what the punishment of the Abbey was, having received quite a many of them.

* * *

/ _A nine-years old Kai closed his eyes tightly and shivered like a leaf as he sunk to his knees on the cold floor which was stained by splatters of dried blood. _

" _Grandfather… I am sorry… I… I won't disobey again…", he whispered in Russian, to no avail trying to restrain his tears. " Please… Don't do this… Please…"._

" _Stop whining, grandson. It's 'bout time for you to learn the price of arrogance and disrespect", Voltaire snarled, shoving no mercy. " STRIKE!"._

_Kai's tears flooded even harder as he heard the rest of the Abbey-kids prepare their launchers, knowing exactly what was to come. After a brief second, the blades designed precisely for this kind of a punishment flew towards him._

_Helpless yells of pain soon ran through the Abbey as the blades met flesh._ /

* * *

At that moment, Kai knew something clearer than ever before. He'd have to take down his grandfather, for he was the only one who could. He'd promised himself for a long time ago to never use the skills he'd learned in the Abbey ever again, but this time there was no choice. Things had gone much too far.

Dara seemed to have read his mind as her sapphire eyes flashed. " You know it now, don't you?".

Kai answered with a simple nod.

Again, the others were puzzled by all the silent understanding between the couple.

Tyson scratched his head in confusion. " Um… Are we missing something here?".

Kai looked at them, eyes burning like never before, his hands clenched into tight fists. " Last time, I couldn't quite finish up with the Abbey. This time, I'll have to take it down once and for all". _There won't be anything left of that hell once I'm finished._

" Are you serious!" Ray gasped, eyes widened. " Kai, you know what Voltaire is capable of, especially now! If you go there now, it's the same as surrendering yourself straight into his hands!".

" Well, this time he won't be doing it alone", Tyson announced, giving a wide grin. " We'll be right with you, Kai. You can call us your own little backup-group".

They might've imagined it, but they could've sworn that for a short while, there was a look of worry and fear in Kai's eyes. " No. I can't let you do it, I won't put you into such danger. Voltaire won't kill me as long as he has Black Dranzer, but he won't hesitate hurting you".

" Well, too bad, 'cause you're going nowhere alone". Ray stepped forward, golden cat's-eyes flaming. " We're a team, remember? None of us has to go through things like this alone. I thought you'd learned that by now".

" Yeah!". Max was jumping up and down, obviously beginning to go hyper. " We're seriously gonna kick that old scumbag's but!".

" Ditto!" Kenny confirmed. " Just tell us what to do".

Kai felt a smile pulling the corners of his mouth, and it was hard not to let it show as he looked at his determined friends. Who would've known that someone as cold as he'd been could find such a good group of friends? (Tough he would rather swallow his tongue than say it out loud.)

After debuting for a long time, Kai spoke. " We'll have to destroy the Abbey, and also gather solid evidence to send Voltaire and Boris behind bars", he stated. " But collecting evidence against those two maniacs won't be easy".

" You've got it right with that one", Dara commented. After hesitating for a long moment, she chose to carry on. " The last time I tried to raise up against the Abbey, it almost cost me my life. I was shot. If I hadn't been a better blader and hence useful, I would be dead now".

Despite the resistance, Kai's eyes widened as a memory suddenly popped into his mind.

* * *

/ _Thirteen-years old Kai gasped as he saw the shivering figure of also thirteen-years old Dara in the far corner of the small, dark room. She was holding her blood-soaked hand against her chest with a pained expression upon her face, eyes tightly shut._

" _Oh no…", he whispered, rushing to her side. " Dara, can you hear me!". She refused to respond. " Dara!"._

_Gradually her eyes opened slightly, and a tear of pain slipped to her cheek. " It h-hurts so much…"._

_He caressed her face with his hand, angry and helpless, wishing that there was something he could do to take her pain away. " Sh… I know". He took off his white scarf as fast as he could and clenched it tightly against the wound. It was hard for him to hold back tears as Dara winced. " I'm sorry, but this is the only way to stop the bleeding"._

_Dara nodded and closed her eyes again, face terrifyingly pale. " I know". She weakly pressed her hand on his, trying to help him make the bleeding stop._

_Not knowing what else to do to ease her pain, he leaned in and pressed a soft kiss on Dara's lips, with that trying to take her pain away. She responded with as much force as she could possibly muster in her condition._

_Suddenly, the moment was cut by a voice that spoke in Russian. " Kai Hiwatari, what do think you are doing?"._

_Kai's eyes widened as he quickly pulled himself off of Dara, and it was hard to fight back all the emotions as he looked towards his grandfather, who stood by the door with Boris. " Grandfather", he stated in Russian, and almost begun explaining himself, but decided that it would be pointless. He would be punished anyway, one way or another._

_Seeming to ignore him for the time being, Voltaire turned to look at Boris. " Make someone tend her wounds, then take care of my grandson"._

" _Yes, Master"._

_With that, Voltaire walked up to Kai and Dara, who held on to each other as tightly as they could, both unable to disguise their terror for one another. He graphed Kai's hand with a force that could've easily broken it, and begun to drag the struggling boy with him. Kai, however, held tightly on to Dara's hand. Both teenagers had tears in their eyes._

" _Kai, don't leave me, please don't leave me!" she begged, by then sobbing uncontrollably._

" _I won't!" Kai swore in a broken tone. " I promise you, I'll come back! I'll never forget! I will never leave you!"._

" _Come on, you brat", Voltaire snarled, managing to brake his grandson's grip on Dara, and dragged Kai away, leaving the girl under Boris' mercy._

_The next day, Voltaire left the Abbey with Kai – with all of his grandson's memories erased._ /

* * *

Kai's eyes were still widened as he looked at Dara, suddenly understanding everything. What Dara had said rang in his ears._You don't remember, do you? You said you'd never forget…_

How could he have forgotten!

" Kai, you okay?". Ray's voice forced him back to present world. The Tiger gaped at him, seeming worried. " You seemed a bit off it".

" I'm okay", he replied shortly. Deciding that he'd have to process all the new information before making any plans or decisions, he continued. "Consider this an afternoon off". Having that said, he turned around and left the hotel room.

A sly smirk appeared onto Tyson's face as he realized the possibilities of a free afternoon. " 'K, in that case, I'm going to take a shower". He gave Max a look. " The door won't be locked". With that, he walked off, soon enough followed by a widely grinning blonde. (A/N: I promise you, this is the furthest the yaoi in this story goes.)

Dara tried to no avail suppress a smile. " Are those two by any chance… teamed up?".

Kenny smirked. " 'Inseparable' would be a more accurate word". For a while, a rosy blush sneaked up to his cheeks. " Well, I also have something to do, so…".

Dara watched with wonder and amusement as the boy disappeared into his room with Dizzy squeezed tightly against his chest.

" He's going to be talking online with Emily for the next couple of hours", Ray, who still remained on the couch, revealed with a smirk upon his face. " She's what he calls a 'fellow scientist', but we know as 'Kenny's big crush'. Neither of them is ready to take the next step yet".

Dara couldn't help but smirk as well. " Seems like you people are busy".

" Well, most of us", Ray commented. There was a short silence, during which she allowed her thoughts wonder back to Kai, and felt a nasty ache in her heart. Ray seemed to notice this. " You shouldn't worry about Kai. We've known him for quite some time now, and he's just beginning to open up to us. You're doing a marvelous job. Just be patient".

She gave a small smile, knowing that Ray was right. She'd known Kai before, and knew how tightly the boy had locked up into himself. Still she'd eventually gotten through to him, and she'd do it again. " Thanks". Taking her blade from the table, she headed towards the door and out, deciding to find a place to practice and think.

As the door closed after Dara, Ray let out a miserable sigh. True enough, he was surrounded by friends, but it was still hard not to feel lonely with all these couples around him. Everybody seemed to have someone, but now that he and Mariah had decided to be just friends he felt like a third wheel. Of course he was happy for his friends, but… He still felt a little blue for being alone.

" Well, there's no use in just moping around…", he muttered to himself and took Driger. " Might as well do something useful".

As he got out of the hotel-room, however, he froze as his cat's-hearing picked a familiar voice speaking. Letting curiosity take the best of him, he followed the voice and saw Dara speaking on a cell-phone with her back towards him.

" I've done my share. He's coming, just as we agreed", she announced. There was a pause. " No, he doesn't suspect a thing". Another pause followed, after which she said something in Russian that, judging by her tone, was far from something pleasant.

Ray frowned deeply as he watched the girl hang up and walk away, some dark ideas rising in his mind.

_What the hell was that about!_

* * *

Tala had never before in his life felt such coldness he felt when the darkness begun to drift and he heard the voices that were much too loud for his liking. He winced and refused to open up his eyes, hoping that the voices would go away.

" Oh my God… He's alive!" the girl gasped in a thick Scottish-accent, Tala winced again as a warm hand touched his ice-cold neck, the touch hurting him. " But his pulse is extremely weak".

Alive… Impossible… He shouldn't be alive…

" Hey, buddy, can you hear me?" a boy asked, speaking the same way as the girl.

" Loud…", Tala whispered, so quietly that he could barely hear it himself. Couldn't those two understand that he didn't want them fussing around him?

" Everything's gonna be okay", the boy assured him. " Jessica called an ambulance, it should be here any moment. Can you tell us what happened?".

Tala almost gasped as the memory hit him and inched his eyes with a huge struggle, facing two blurry figures above him.

_Kai… Nadja… Dara…_ He opened his mouth, tried to speak out the names, but didn't have the strength it required.

Another one of the figures, the girl, suddenly gasped. " Dominick… Don't you recognize him?".

The boy bent down to look closer, and came much closer than Tala would've preferred. The boy gasped as well in recognition. " Holy damn… Tala Ivanov from the Demolition Boys…". The boy, who was getting more blurry again with Tala drifting back into the darkness, seemed to frown slightly. " What the heck happened to you?".

With the last of his strength, he managed to lift his hand and squeezed it desperately around the silvery, oval-shaped pendant with a sapphire-stone that hang around his neck. " Warn… Kai…", was all he could whisper before the lights went out.

From a small distance, a girl clad in a long, chocolate-brown jacket and dark-blue (almost black) motorcycle-helmet, watched from her black scooter as Tala was some minutes later carried into an ambulance. Muttering something incoherent in Russian, she drove off, heading towards the hospital the ambulance would be taking Tala.

TBC.

* * *

A/N: And the plot thickens! Who is this new girl? And what the hell is Dara up to?

That's all for now. 'Til next time, everyone!


	4. Surprises

A/N: I'm back! Hope you're all still sticking along, because here comes chapter four.

* * *

CHAPTER 4: Surprises 

Night-wind slashed Kai's face cruelly as he sat eyes closed on the roof of the teams hotel, but he didn't even notice it. He knew that he should've been thinking about a plan of getting the evidence they needed against Voltaire and Boris, but… He's thoughts were so badly mixed up that he couldn't think straight. During the past hours, he'd tried everything he could possibly think of to clear his head: blading, physical exercising… But nothing seemed to work. And to throne the misery, there was this annoying, stabbing pain in his head that was making all rational thinking impossible.

_Just my luck_, he thought moodily. _Why is it that all problems come simultaneously?_

Suddenly, his mangled thoughts were cut as he felt that he was no longer alone. Opening his eyes slowly, he found Dara sitting beside him, eyes locked to the stars shining in the sky. He half expected her to go ahead and try to talk to him, but she didn't. Instead she sat in silence, giving him silent support, with her simple presence telling him that she was there for him. No talking was needed. Never been too fond of words, Kai appreciated that.

" For how long have you been there?" he finally asked, deciding that another one of them would have to speak.

" Fifteen minutes or so", she replied softly, then looked at him with her blue eyes that seemed to see every corner of his well-guarded soul. Normally he would've been afraid of such insight, but the look of Dara's eyes was so filled with understanding and compassion that it shattered all his boundaries, made all fear disappear. " It's not a shame to be afraid".

" I am not that much afraid for myself", he whispered, turning his gaze to the stars.

" For Nadja?" Dara suggested gently.

Kai couldn't understand why he trusted on this girl so much, what it was about her that made all his walls crumble. Without even thinking about it twice, he nodded. " Voltaire said that he'd hurt her if I'd try to rise up against him. That was the only reason he spared her life: to blackmail me with it". He felt a mixture of anger and helplessness bubbling inside of him, and squeezed his hands into tight fists. " I wish I could protect her, but…". He slowly drew in a deep, shuttering breath. " It's my fault if something happens to her".

" No". Dara's hand took his, and she linked her fingers with his, forcing his fist to open. " Don't you dare blame yourself about what Voltaire does, Kai. It's none of your fault. Your parents, Ivan… It was Voltaire's doing, not yours".

Kai looked at her, confused. She looked back with a soft smile upon her face, and gently touched his painted cheek. " You have to stop thinking it's your duty to protect everyone".

Kai opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by running steps and heavy panting. Turning their heads, they saw Tyson rushing towards them. Kai immediately felt a cold shiver run down his spine as he saw the worried look upon the Dragon's face.

" What is it?" he asked in a tense voice.

Tyson stopped and leaned his hands against his knees, trying to catch his breath. It took for quite a while before he spoke. " It's… Tala…".

Kai's eyes widened.

* * *

As the gang rushed into a Russian hospital about half an hour later, they found Mr. Dickinson talking to an attractive mail-doctor about in his thirties. Tough the doctor's English wasn't good, it was understandable. 

" He suffers from a bad case of hypothermia, and he's also been beaten up cruelly. He is unconscious at the moment". The doctor then noticed the gang. " Can I ask who you are?".

Mr. Dickinson turned his head towards them as well, and gave a relieved smile. " These are the Bladebrakers". A slight frown crossed his features as he saw Dara. " But who's this girl?".

" Long story", Kai stated, then looked at the doctor with dark, worried eyes none of them had ever seen before. " Is Tala going to be alright?".

The doctor, Dr. Nikolai Radick as his nametag said, smiled. " Yes, we're pretty sure he will. He just needs a lot of rest at the moment". He frowned slightly. " Are you Kai?".

Kai was taken by surprise. " Yes. Why are you asking?".

" When he was conscious for a while, he called out your name. According to the paramedics he sounded worried". Dr. Radick shrugged. " But I guess you'd like to see him".

" Yes!" Tyson replied before anyone else got a chance to.

Smiling, the doctor begun to lead them towards the nearby room, number 425. " By the way, you're not the first ones here. A girl about your age named… Alissa came five minutes after Tala had been taken in".

Both Kai and Dara paled as they exchanged a quick look, seeming shocked and disbelieving.

" That's impossible…", Kai whispered as he rushed over to the door and barged in, frightening the red-haired girl who was sitting beside Tala, holding his hand.

The rest of the gang came into the room, and confused as they saw Kai staring at the girl with widened eyes, frozen by shock.

" Kai? What's wrong? Who is she?" Ray asked, a deep frown upon his face, but didn't manage to get the Russian's attention.

Tyson's attention, however was on the girl beside Tala. " Who the heck are you?" he blurted out.

The girl – who looked a lot like Tala, actually – had long, red hair that fell far down her back on a thick plait, and a familiar pair of piercing-blue eyes. She hadn't taken off her coffee-brown jacket, her motorcycle-helmet laid carelessly at her feet. On her she had dark-blue jeans, a blood-red top and brown boots.

" Alissa…", Dara whispered in a voice full of disbelief. " How is this possible?".

At this point, Dr. Radick decided that the wisest thing to do was leave.

As the door closed behind him, the girl introduced as Alissa spoke. " I'm Alissa Ivanov, Tala's twin-sister".

The gang (save Kai and Dara) blinked in confusion.

" We never knew Tala had a sister", Max noted.

Alissa humped. " That's understandable". She turned to his brother and caressed his face gently, a slightly pained look upon her face. " To him, I died a long time ago…".

* * *

/ _Two terrified children at the age of seven ran as fast as they possibly could down the stairs of the shady old building, both urging the other to go on._

" _Alissa, come on!" Tala whispered in Russian, pulling her sister's hand he was holding. Both twins had tears in their eyes. " We need to run, get help for mommy and daddy!". _

" _I'm trying, Tala", Alissa sobbed in Russian as well, trying to no avail hold back her flooding tears. " Tala, why did they hurt mom and dad? Why are they trying to hurt us?"._

_At this point, Tala broke and sobbed as well. " I don't know, Lissa"._

_Suddenly, as they were only two stairways from the door to outside and safety, Alissa tripled when her strength left her, and yelped as her ankle snapped and twisted into an unnatural angle. Tala gasped as he realized that his sister wouldn't be able to walk for a long time._

" _Lissa…"._

" _Go!" Alissa ordered, and grimaced in pain, holding her ankle. " Another one of us has to escape! Run!"._

" _I… I don't wanna leave you", Tala sobbed, tears running freely._

" _GO!" Alissa roared, and extremely reluctantly Tala did as ordered. He gave his sister a quick, teary kiss on a forehead before he turned around and ran away, unable to look back._

_Tala didn't go far, however. He slumped behind a nearby corner, listening, praying that those men wouldn't find his sister after all. Unfortunately, his prayers weren't answered. The steps that had been following them stopped._

" _Hello, little-girl", a voice that from thereon haunted both twins in nightmares, greeted._

_After a while, Tala winced and cried as a shot was heard, followed by a thud as his sister fell down._

" _I'm so sorry, Alissa… Please forgive me… I betrayed my promise…I'm so sorry", he whispered, tears flooding._

_After about five minutes his feet seemed to be co-operative, and he was just about leave as a man stepped into his view, and the cold face of Boris Balkov greeted him._

_The man smirked coldly, revealing his perfectly white, beastly teeth. " Now I found you"._ /

* * *

" It was a miracle, but I survived. Apparently Boris wasn't a good shooter back then. Since I recovered, I've spent most of my time looking for Tala. I was even in the Abbey for some months, but Boris recognised me before I could find Tala and had him sent away. I was made a piece of Boris and Voltaire's property. I wasn't allowed to see anyone who might've realized who I was. They even went as far as dying my hair black to make me look less like Tala, and took away my name". 

Dara gasped in realization. " You were Number 024, the prisoner I and Kai were never allowed to see".

Alissa nodded solemnly. " Luckily I managed to escape before that place crushed me". She smiled vaguely to her unconscious brother. " It took for far too long, but now I finally found him".

For a long time silence filled the room.

" Tala sometimes talked about you", Kai finally whispered. " He always blamed himself about what happened that day. About how he couldn't protect you, like he'd promised to your parents…".

Alissa gave a small laughter. " That's funny. I also blame myself".

* * *

Hours slipped by, and in the early hours of morning Tyson, Max and Kenny had returned to their hotel after making the rest of them swear that they'd call them if anything should happen. As Kai and Dara headed for the cafeteria, Ray was left alone with Alissa. For a long time they sat in peaceful, thoughtful silence. 

" He'll be okay, you know?" Ray finally stated, giving the obviously worried girl a small, comforting smile.

Alissa returned the smile. " Yeah, I know".

As another silence fell, Ray's amber eyes suddenly picked something from inside Alissa's motorcycle-helmet. It was a amethyst-colored blade, shining beautifully in the first rays of sun.

" You blade too, don't you?" he more stated than asked.

Alissa nodded. " Our parents gave us our blades the day before…". She trailed off, and he suddenly felt bad for asking.

" I'm sorry", he whispered.

Alissa shook her head, granting him a smile. " You shouldn't be. It wasn't your fault, right?".

Ray nodded, and suddenly felt his heart twitch as the girl's eyes captured his. Gods, he'd never seen such a gaze before! It was almost hard to breath…

" While tracking down Tala, I've been watching a lot of beyblade-matches. Mostly from TV, but I've also been in some tournaments, tough it was hard because of Boris. And… I've watched you", Alissa confessed suddenly, and Ray could've sworn he saw a hint of blush on her cheeks. " Driger is amazing".

Ray gave a somewhat goofy grin. " Um… Thanks…". Getting himself composed, he blinked and tried to think of something to say. " You got a bit-beast?".

Alissa nodded. " Yes". She took her blade and showed him the bit-chip. It had a picture of an amazingly powerful looking, beautiful wolf, that had a violet fur. Its claws seemed ready to rip apart anything. " She's Lumera".

" She's beautiful", Ray whispered, unsure of whether he was looking at the bit-chip or Alissa.

Alissa seemed to notice this too, for she first seemed confused, then melted into a beautiful, bright smile, unlike anything Ray had ever seen before. " Thank you", she said.

The only response Ray could give was another goofy grin.

* * *

In the meantime, deep inside the darkness of the Abbey, Voltaire looked sternly at the girl before him. 

She had black hair, decorated with wine-red strands, that just and just reached her chin, and almost black eyes. She was dressed in a silver-colored tank-top and black pants, her cheeks decorated with the traditional azure Hiwatari-family paintings.

" I have a mission for you, Nadja", he announced in Russian.

" Yes, grandfather?".

" I've found that brother of yours", he told her, eyes flashing.

Nadja's eyes flashed as well, almost the same way as his. " Where is he?".

" In hotel _Casabella_ in downtown, room 513", he replied. " But you must bring him to me _alive_".

Nadja growled. " I want to kill him for what happened to our parents, Tala and Ivan because of him. He's brought so much pain…".

" I know, Nadja. I know", he said in a voice that a sudden might've called gentle. " But we need him to achieve our goals".

" But…".

" No buts. You will get your revenge, but the time isn't yet". He gave something resembling a smile. " But as soon as he's not needed anymore, he's yours".

Nadja's eyes flashed once more as she nodded respectfully. " Alright, grandfather. I shall bring him to you – alive".

He made a satisfied sound. " Good girl. Now go. Complete your task".

She nodded, and was soon out of the door, on her way.

As soon as the door closed behind her, he humped. " I almost feel sorry for that girl, you know?" he stated.

A figure of Boris stepped out of the shadows. " But with her aid, our mission is completed".

" Yes". Voltaire's eyes glowed. " Soon enough Kai will be in our hands, and after that, nothing can stop us".

* * *

TBC.

* * *

A/N: So _this_ is Nadja. Not exactly a Kai-fan, huh? 

Do you want to read the next chapter? Feel free to review.


	5. Warning

A/N: Time for another chapter! Yippee! Thank you so much for your reviews! (hugs you all)

Things **definitely** seem to be heating up between Ray and Alissa… Let's just hope that Tala won't skin our poor little cat-boy when he finds out. (_If_ he wakes up, that is.)

Just one more thing before continuing the story… I've been thinking about the yaoi-stuff in this fic so much that my head is soon about to blow up, but I just realized that I haven't been seeking for help from the best resource yet: you. So... How do you feel about yaoi? How far do you wish me to go? Comment, please! I'm desperate here.

But now… On with the story!

* * *

CHAPTER 5: Warning

Quite late at night, Kai had his eyes closed as he was leaning against the white wall of Tala's hospital room, sipping his about tenth mug of coffee that day. He felt tired, so badly that it took just about all his willpower to keep his legs from giving way, but he was determined not to leave the hospital (despite the fact that he deeply hated the place) before Tala would wake up.

" Kai?". By the tone, the voice had been calling him for quite some time already. " Hey, are you still awake?".

Opening his eyes slowly, with a struggle that was much harder than he would've liked, he saw Dara's deeply worried face before him.

" Yeah, I'm up", he murmured, tough he couldn't be quite sure.

Dara gave a small smile. " Well, you sure don't seem that way". She sighed. " Kai, please, don't be stubborn. You've been up for almost two days without any sleep. You really need some rest".

Kai opened his mouth, intending to retort in his usual manner, but the words wouldn't come out. He knew she was right. It took a huge swallow of pride, but he had to admit that he wasn't doing well at all: he had huge bags underneath his bloodshot eyes, and his usually pale skin was beginning to turn gray. Well enough, Kai Hiwatari was in need of a _long_ nap. But he wasn't about to give in without a fight. " What if something changes with Tala?" he grunted.

" Don't worry, Lissa and I will be here", Ray's voice told him. " You really need some rest, you know?".

He had his other eyebrow lifted as he looked at the neko-jin and girl beside Tala's bed. He had a thought that Ray's reasons for urging him into bed so eagerly weren't purely selfless. Fair enough, no matter the reasons, Ray was right.

Kai sighed in defeat. " Guess I have no choice in this matter, ne?".

Dara smirked. " You sure don't". She took his hand, and for a while he thought about fighting it, but ended up relaxing to the warm touch. " Let's go before you fall asleep standing up".

Ray smiled to him. " Don't worry, we won't be going anywhere".

_I'm sure you won't be as long as Alissa is here_, Kai thought as he followed Dara out, but didn't say a thing.

* * *

Tala was sure that time had passed as he floated in the endless pit of gray, but he had no idea of how much. Minutes, days, months, years… Time didn't matter or even exist there.

He couldn't feel pretty much anything. Previously he'd felt really cold, but that feeling was long gone. Now pretty much the only thing that told him he was still alive and kicking was the soft pressure he could feel at times, someone holding his hand, keeping him connected to the real world, but he had no idea of whose the grip was.

His mind was fuzzy and hazy, it was difficult to think straight. What had happened to him? Where was he? He didn't know, hardly even cared. The only thing that had even a slightest significance to him were the screams in his ears.

" _Tala! NO! Please, no, don't take him! You can't!"._

_Nadja… _He tried to speak out the name, but his mouth wouldn't work for him. It felt useless and as dry as a piece of sandpaper.

_" Bring Kai to me – alive. It is time for my defiant grandson to fulfil his destiny as a heir of the Hiwatari-family – no matter how little he likes it"._

_Oh shit… Kai…_ Suddenly, time had a great significance to him. For how long had he wasted in the grayness? Had Voltaire already gotten his hands on Kai? _I have to warn him!_

It took every single ounce of strength he had, but with all his might he defied the grayness, pushing himself through as hard as he could.

If he wouldn't make it on time, all would be lost: not just Kai, but perhaps the entire world.

* * *

" Do you think he can hear us?" Alissa asked, breaking the long silence. Her hand was gently holding Tala's, and she wished from the bottom of her heart that he could somehow sense her presence, knew that he wasn't alone.

" I don't know", Ray replied honestly. " But I do believe that he knows we're here. And I'm also sure that he'll fight his way to us eventually".

Alissa couldn't help but smile, and she gave the Chinese boy a quick look. It amazed her that no matter how dark things seemed, Ray seemed to be able to light them up. " You're amazing, you know that?" she whispered before she could stop herself.

Ray looked at her with confused golden eyes, and she could've kicked herself for what she'd just said. " What do you mean?" he asked.

She felt her heartbeat quicken, but before she had to come up with any lame explation a quiet groan saved her. They both looked at Tala's face with hope growing in them, and gasped when they saw Tala's eyes twitch slightly as he was waking up. All of a sudden, Alissa felt nervous. Tala though she was dead. How would he react when seeing her there, by his side? Before she could think any further, however, Tala's eyes fluttered completely open. At first he stared at the roof and blinked for a long time, adjusting to the sudden attack of bright light.

" Tala? Can you hear me?" Ray asked quietly, fearing that too loud sounds might hurt Tala's ears.

" Yhym…", the Russian managed. Talking was obviously a hard task. Gradually he turned his head and looked at Ray, seeming deeply puzzled. " What…?". _What happened?_

" A young couple found you floating from a river", Ray explained. " You had luck. Few more hours, and…". He didn't have to finish.

Tala nodded slowly, then seemed to feel the hand still holding his. Giving a confused frown, he turned his head – and his blue eyes widened larger than they'd ever been before as he saw Alissa.

" Impossible…", he whispered, a look of utter shock upon his face.

Squeezing his hand a little tighter to assure him that she was really there, Alissa smiled. " I never left you, brother", she whispered in Russian, stroking his face with her free hand. She then continued in English. " Now go to sleep. You need a lot of rest".

Tala opened his mouth to protest, but before he could utter any words Dr. Radick came into the room, and smiled as he saw Tala awake. " Well good morning, Tala. It's good to see you awake". He looked at Tala's two quests apologetically. " I'm sorry. I know how much you probably wish to be here, but the patient needs rest and I have to run some test. So, if you don't mind…".

Taking the hint, the couple nodded and headed towards the door.

" No…", Tala whispered a weak protest, and struggled valiantly to get more words out but failed.

Ray gave him a reassuring smile. " Don't worry, we'll be back as soon as the doctor lets us".

" Yeah", Alissa confirmed, also smiling. " And then we'll have a little talk, okay?".

With that, the duo was out, oblivious to how hard Tala was trying to make them stay.

" Warn… Kai…", Tala whispered, but the door was already closed.

Dr. Radick, who was just taking his pulse, gave him a quick look. " Did you say something?".

Lacking the strength to repeat what he'd just said, Tala gave a deep sigh of defeat and closed his eyes, letting his head sink deeper to the pillow.

* * *

Three hours after Tala had to no avail tried to get his warning out, a silvery scooter speeded towards the gang's hotel, driven by a girl wearing a short, red leather-jacket and black motorcycle-helmet. As soon as the driver reached its destination, she pulled the brakes with such force that the vehicle went sideways for a while. When the scooter stopped, the driver took off the helmet, letting her reddish-black hair break loose.

A grim smile crossed Nadja's features as she looked at the window of the hotel room she knew to be her brother's.

_And so we meet again_, she thought.

* * *

Inside the hotel, Kai had eventually fallen into a light stupor as his eyes suddenly shot open, getting a shade of darker red than usually. Something was wrong.

Slowly and carefully, not willing to disturb Dara who was sleeping peacefully beside him, he got up and tip-toed out of the room, adjusting his eyes to the lack of light. Shadows danced on the walls in the dark, not a sound came to his sensitive ears as he stood in the lounge-room of the hotel room. All of a sudden, he saw a shadow of a human-figure appear to the wall, but before he had even the time to spin around and face the intruder, something struck him hard onto the back of his head and he fell to the floor. He recovered himself with a quick shake of head and, ignoring the dizziness the strike he'd received caused, jumped back to his feet with an impressive speed. Eyes flashing, he raised his fist, ready to knock out any attacker, but the fist froze in motion and a small gasp escaped his lips as the intruder stepped out of the shadows, carrying a small metallic pipe.

Nadja smiled coldly. " Hello, big-brother".

* * *

TBC.

* * *

A/N: Uh-huh… This'll _not_ be a nice family-meeting…

'Til next time, everyone! Remember to comment the yaoi-thing, and you all know how I feel about reviews…

(ps: Back there I used a word pipe… I know it's a horrible choice of word, but I couldn't come up with anything better, so… Sorry.)


	6. Nadja

A/N: Hi there, I hope you're all still around! Firstly, once again thank you so much for reviews! They _really do_ mean a lot, you know?

Your comments on the yaoi-thing lifted a tremendous weight off my shoulders, thank you! Although all the yaoi is basically between Tyson and Max, but still. Remember that it's still not too late to give your opinion. And oh… There'll inevitably be some sappiness along the way, but I'll do my hardest to keep it in minimum. (This goes to both yaoi- and non-yaoi relationships.) Straighten me up if you feel I'm going too sugary, 'k?

Hmm… Why is it that authors love cliff-hangers? I'm speaking for just myself, of course, but in some twisted way I like keeping you guys on your toes, holding your breaths in anxiety to know how the story goes on. (grin's evilly) Besides, it gives me a _huge_ sense of satisfaction to know that only I know how things will turn out, who shall live and who shall be extinguished. (MUAHHAHHAA!)

Oooookay, uh-huh… Er… Sorry… Well, before I'll scare you all away, let's move on with the story.

Or no, just one more thing! (This seems to be one of those endless a/n:s…) Since there's quite a lot of OC-stuff in this fic – people, bit-beasts and their attacks – and I've only seen season two and the first half of season one (season three hasn't been aired around here yet, snif), I might end up unintentionally copying something. So… If you _ever_ find me copying _anything_ from the official series, please tell me! After all, I don't want to get sued… (Btw, Lumera being a wolf was intentional decision. I figured it would be cute and appropriate that twins have bit-beasts of same species.)

And now, 'bout time to get on! In this chapter, it's finally time for rumble!

* * *

CHAPTER 6: Nadja

At the hospital, Alissa blinked her eyes in deep confusion as she woke up from her slumber.

_For how long was I out?_

After gathering the hazy memories for a little while, she discovered that she was in the hospital's waiting-room, to where she and Ray had went after the doctor had drove them out of Tala's room. Suddenly her thoughts were interrupted and she almost yelped of surprise as she realized that her head was resting against something soft, and there was a pair of arms wrapped gently around her in a protective manner.

" What the heck…?" she muttered, and moved her head slightly to investigate her situation. A small smile immediately light up her features.

The soft she'd been leaning against was Ray's chest, and as expected, the arms also belonged to the neko-jin. They were occupying altogether three chairs as Ray sat leaning on the wall with her in his arms. Looking at the boy's face, her smile widened as she noticed that he was sleeping peacefully, a couple strands of raven hair drooping loosely on his forehead, and had a calm, soft look upon his face. A small smile was playing on his lips, and she had to wonder if he was dreaming about something wonderful. She lightly brushed his cheek, wishing that she could let him sleep like that forever.

Eventually Alissa managed to rip herself out of her daze, and realized that no matter how little she liked it, Ray had to be woken up. " Ray", she whispered gently, squeezing one of his hands holding her. The boy groaned, but refused to wake up. " C'mon, wake up". Ray stirred, and she smirked. Almost a success. " I'm sorry to wake you, but we should go and check up on Tala". Ray's golden eyes finally opened, and he seemed a bit confused as he looked at her, obviously still half-asleep. She smiled. " Morning".

" Is it? A morning, I mean?" Ray muttered, rubbing his face with both hands.

She looked out of the window. Somewhere in distant horizon first lazy rays of sun were soon about to puncture the sky, but it was still very dark. " Almost". She then looked at Ray, who seemed to be slightly more awake than before. " It's quite a task to wake you, Kon. For a while I thought I'd have to take drastic measures".

Ray smiled slightly. " Guess I've always been the type that sleeps tightly".

" Apparently". She too, smiled. " You're cute when you sleep, tough". And again, she was more than ready to kick herself for the remark.

Ray looked at her, seeming surprised, but before the boy managed to ask anything, they heard steps. Turning their heads, they saw Dr. Radick approaching them with a slightly worried expression on his face. Both were on their feet in less than a second.

" Is something wrong?" she immediately asked.

Dr. Radick seemed a bit confused. " To be honest, I'm not sure", he confessed. " Physically, Tala is recovering extremely quickly. I think we can release him in a couple of days. But…". The doctor frowned. " Since he's had enough of strength to talk, he's kept telling me that someone is in danger, that he had to warn someone. Do you have any idea of what he was talking about?".

Ray's eyes widened, and for a first time since they heard about Tala being in the hospital, the things he'd overheard Dara saying on the phone came back into his mind.

_" I've done my share. He's coming, just as we agreed. No, he doesn't suspect a thing"._

" Shit…", he hissed so quietly that the two others couldn't hear, cursing his own stupidity. How the heck had be forgotten about something that important! If something would happen to Kai because of him forgetting…

Dr. Radick, who'd been talking to Alissa, gave him a look. " Pardon?".

He shook his head, signaling that there was no time for explanations. " Look, I have to see Tala, ask him something. I think this might have something to do with the warning he's been talking about".

The doctor paled slightly. " Is someone in danger?".

Ray's eyes darkened. " I wish I knew".

* * *

Kai felt his heart race as he looked into his sister's almost black eyes that were filled with bitterness, hatred and anger. Just like his own had been for not too long ago… " Nadja…".

" Not another word", Nadja growled, lifting the metallic pipe and attempting to strike again, but this time Kai was prepared. With irony hold he graphed the metal, eyes flashing.

" I know the lies grandfather has probably told you", he told her, evenly and sternly. " Now it's time for you to learn the truth about that monster".

" He's not the monster here", Nadja hissed, still trying to release her weapon from his unwavering hold. " You are".

Looking into her eyes, Kai realized that there was only one way to make her listen. " If you want a fight, that's what you get", he announced. " But no weapons".

" Alright". Nadja's eyes squinted. " No weapons are needed to beat a piece of scamp like you".

As soon as he released his hold of the metal-pipe, Nadja was attacking him. He barely managed to dodge her fist that'd been aimed at his face. " Listen to me", he growled, making his own strike that missed by an inch. " What happened to our parents and Ivan… It was Voltaire's fault, not mine".

" Why the hell should I listen to you!". This time Nadja kicked him, and he felt air leaving his lungs as the leg met his stomach. " Those men slaughtered our parents because of you! Ivan and Tala… They were trying to protect you, and paid for it with their lives! I hate you!".

Of course Kai knew that those were just lies Voltaire had rooted into her, but the words stung him nevertheless. Especially when he'd spent so many years trying to convince himself they weren't true. His eyes squinted. " Tala isn't dead", he told her, dodging another kick with ducking. " Open your eyes, Nadja!". He threw his other leg forward, causing Nadja fall down. " Don't you see who really care about you!".

Nadja's eyes were burning as they both straightened themselves simultaneously, circling each other like two predators. " I will not listen to you, because I don't have to". Her fist met his cheek painfully. " My task was to bring you to grandfather, but he didn't say you should be unharmed. So, unless you want more of those, I suggest you to shut up".

Sadness grew inside of Kai. He hated the idea of having to hurt his sister, but since there was no other way… His fist met her face. " I promised mom and dad that I would take care of you, that I wouldn't let grandfather have you". They circled around each other once again. " And now, it's 'bout time to fulfil that promise".

* * *

After getting a permission from the shocked doctor, Ray rushed into Tala's room with Alissa on his tails, both seeming extremely worried.

At first the redhead was startled by the sudden intruding, but his blue eyes flashed with relief when recognizing them. He opened his mouth to speak, but Ray cut him short. " Tala, you've been talking about someone being in danger. Tell us everything".

Tala took a deep breath, as it was probably still a strain for him to speak. " It's Kai… Voltaire is after him…".

Ray nodded impatiently. " Yeah, that much we've heard".

Tala shook his head. " No… This is different… It's not just about Black Dranzer anymore…".

Both Alissa and Ray frowned, confused. " What do you mean?".

Tala had to gather his strength for a while. " He needs Kai to… fulfill his mission… To take over the world…".

Alissa gasped. " How could one person…?".

Tala seemed strained as he shook his head again. " You don't understand… With Black Dranzer and the training he's had… Kai would be undefeatable… That is why Voltaire wants him so badly… The old scumbag is afraid of him…". Tala paused for a while, gathering his strength, and looked at Ray. " You've seen him with BD… If Voltaire does to him what he's planning to… he'll be ten times as strong and ruthless".

For a long moment, Ray chewed the words, feeling overwhelmed by shock and disbelief. How was this possible!

Deciding that they were ready to hear the rest, Tala continued, voice stronger than before. " Voltaire told us to hunt down Kai, to bring him back to the Abbey… But I refused. That's why Voltaire told Boris to get rid of me". It was hard not to guess what that meant. " But that wasn't everything".

Ray frowned. " What more?".

Tala had a look something between anger and worry. " There's something you should know about Dara… and Nadja".

" Nadja?" Ray repeated.

* * *

The others were immediately alarmed as they woke up to the sounds of raging fight. " Oh crap…", Kenny mumbled, struggling up from his bed. He got to the lounge room exactly the same time as Tyson, Max and Dara, and they all gasped as the sight was presented to them.

" What the hell's going on!" Tyson demanded and squeezed his hands into tight fists, obviously ready to defend his team-captain.

" Stay out", Kai growled through gritted teeth, then concentrated on the battle again.

After that, Kai and Nadja barely noticed that they had audience as their fight continued. By then both had several battle-marks on their bodies: faces were stained with blood, and both had several more or less painful bruises. Spectators gasped at the way Kai moved like a well-trained soldier, dodging and throwing kicks and punches with such speed they barely dared to blink in fear of missing something. Of course Kai's team-mates had – to some extend, at least – known how hard Boris had trained Abbey-kids, but never in their wildest imaginations had they thought that the training matched with one given by military.

But the girl was just as tough. Actually, as they watched the two move it became clear that they were evenly matched. Having been trained by the same, twisted program of Boris', whatever strike one made, the other expected it and countered. This battle would have no ending, they realized. Kai and this stranger would only end up hurting each other more.

" Stop this, you two!". Kenny took them all by surprise when actually roaring his command. " There's no point in this, you'll only get injured!".

It took for a long, long time, but eventually Kai and the girl seemed to admit that Kenny was right. Both panting, they cut the battle, though still eyeing each other suspiciously.

Nadja, who was trying to catch her breath after the intense match, took a look at the people before her, and her eyes squinted as her gaze locked to Dara. She spoke to her in Russian. " What's going on? You were supposed to bring him to the Abbey for days ago!".

Dara's eyes widened with shock, and it took for a long while before she dared to look at Kai, a desperate, pleading look in her eyes. " Kai…". She couldn't continue.

Kai's mind whirred with shock and disbelief as he stared at the girl he'd learned to trust, to… care a lot about. It was hard to ask what had to be asked. " What is she talking about?".

A single tear rolled over Dara's cheek, causing his heart to shrink into a tight ball. She spoke in English. " I… I'm sorry… I never wanted to hurt you, you have to believe me".

The three boys watching were confused, as they couldn't understand what they were talking about.

" What's going on?" Max finally asked.

Nadja burst into a cruel laughter. She spoke in English as well. " Now this is amusing. Didn't little-Dara tell you? She only came here to lure you back into the Abbey, as her uncle told her to do. He only spared her life because she promised to obey". She looked at Dara with accusing eyes. " Didn't Boris convince you hard enough, or what's taking you so long?".

Uncle… Boris… Those two words begun to link in Kai's mind as the truth begun to clear out to him. He was trembling all over as a memory confirmed his dark conclusion.

* * *

/ _Seven-years old Kai watched from a little hole as the purple-hared girl stood before Boris, her back towards Kai, her head bowed respectfully. _

" _This is the Abbey, Dara", Boris told her in Russian in a harsh tone, face emotionless. " Respect the rules or you will be punished. Understood?"._

" _Yes, uncle"._

" Good". Boris' eyes squinted. " The next time you disobey, I won't be this merciful. Understood?".

_Dara was visibly shivering as she nodded. " Y – yes, uncle". She sounded like she was about to cry. " I will never fail you again, I promise"._

" _Good". Boris humped. " Now go. You've wasted enough of my time"._ /

* * *

Kai had a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. He'd been fooled, big time. Gods! What had he been thinking, trusting on Dara like that? Damnit! He'd been an idiot!

Nadja seemed amused as she studied her brother's pained face. " What's wrong? Don't like what you're discovering?". Her eyes darkened. " Now you're finally getting what you deserve. This is how being betrayed by the one you care about the most feels like".

* * *

In the hospital, Tala had just told them about Dara, and was now almost completed with Nadja. He seemed to be deep in thought, talking more to himself than them. " She's been under Voltaire's hand since she was six, based all her knowledge of her family on his lies. She hates Kai, for according to what she knows, 'the men that broke into their house' murdered their parents because of Kai".

Ray nodded slowly, thinking. " Why haven't you told her the truth?".

" I've tried to correct her, I've lost count for how many times". Tala sighed. " But you know how stubborn Kai is, and she's thousand times worse".

Alissa smirked slyly. " You seem to know her quite well".

A faint blush was evident on Tala's cheeks. " Well, we've been… close". Soon enough he gained back his composure, and looked at them with stern eyes. " Look, I wish I had time to tell – and ask (his gaze was locked to Alissa) – about everything, but you need to hurry. Nadja is probably already at the hotel, and I bet Voltaire isn't far behind. If you won't get there soon, it'll be too late".

Both Ray and Alissa nodded, knowing that there was no arguing for they knew he was right.

" We won't be too late", Ray promised in a voice that clearly told he was serious. " And we won't let anything happen to Kai… _or_ Nadja".

Tala smiled slightly and nodded, strain apparent on his pale face. " Thank you".

In a sudden thought, Alissa rushed over to her brother and kissed him tenderly on the forehead, just like she'd always done when they were kids. " Don't worry. Everything's gonna work out", she whispered into his ear in Russian.

With that, Alissa rushed up to Ray, and in a matter of seconds the duo disappeared from the door.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Tala carefully got up from the bed, roughly taking off the tubes connected to him, and walked up to the closet where his clothes were held.

* * *

As the truth about Dara begun to sink into the three boys watching the scenario, the first emotion was disbelief. And when they realized that this was real, that what they were hearing wasn't just a stupid lie, it turned into anger.

" Tell me she isn't telling the truth", Kenny whispered, staring at Dara with widened eyes, tough he already knew she wouldn't be able to do so.

" How could you!" Max gasped, huge eyes filled with shock and disbelief.

If the others were disappointed and shocked, Tyson was outraged. Unable to hold himself back for another second, he stepped forward and slapped Dara with open hand as hard as he possibly could. His blue, hate-filled eyes were scarily dark and seemed to be burning as he looked at her. " You have no idea of how much I'd like to kill you right now", he hissed through gritted teeth.

" Tyson!" Max gasped.

Everyone – even Dara, though she'd known these boys only for a short while – knew where Tyson's outburst came from. Whether he admitted it or not, since lake-Baikal Tyson had been extremely protective when it came to Kai. Not that Kai would've been one to need protection, as he was usually the one to save the others' asses, but still. And now, he'd let a traitor lurk so close to Kai. Whether it was himself or Dara he was more pissed off at, two things were sure. He would _definitely_ not forgive Dara easily, and he would _not_ let her lay her hands on Kai _ever_ again.

Dara tried to speak, to tell how sorry she was, but words failed her. Trying her hardest to block out the hurtful remarks and the pain caused by Tyson's hand, she didn't even feel the tears rolling down her paled cheeks as she met Kai's burgundy eyes, desperately seeking for a sign of understanding and softness. The weren't any. Instead the gaze she met was so filled with disappointment and pain that it made her heart shrink into a small, tight ball. She opened her mouth, but the desperate words she'd intended to say wouldn't come out.

_I'm so sorry…_

Unable to look into Dara's pleading, teary eyes anymore, Kai turned his gaze to his sister, forcing all emotions off his face. His eyes were flaming with fire no one had ever seen in them before. " Your mind has been played with long enough, Nadja. It's time for you to finally learn the truth". Saying that, he pulled out Dranzer. " This is the only way to settle things between us. If I win, you'll have to listen".

Nadja lifted an eyebrow. " And _when_ I win…?".

Kai's eyes darkened. " Then I'm going with you".

Gasps were heard. " Kai, are you out of your mind!" Tyson yelled.

" You don't know how strong she is", Kenny remarked, sounding deeply worried.

Kai gave his team a look that told them to shut up.

* * *

Some twenty minutes later, they were all in the same practice-hall where Kai had battled with Dara a couple of days earlier.

" Remember Kai, you can still back down", Max reminded him.

Kai's eyes flashed once again, not once leaving his sister, who in some creepy way was a perfect replica of the old cold and emotionless him. This was his only chance to save her from making the same mistakes he'd done. " I'm ready".

Nadja's eyes flashed as well as she took out her metallic-blue blade that had blood-red stripes decorating it. " So am I".

" 'K then". Kenny sounded anything but certain. " 3… 2… 1… LET IT RIP!".

* * *

TBC.

* * *

A/N: Huh! The ultimate battle of freedom! Who shall win – Kai or Nadja? And will Voltaire show his ugly face like Tala fears he might?

Well, until next chapter, if (shif) you want one. And remember, I'm always hungry for reviews… (Not hinting or anything…)


	7. All about the family Hiwatari

A/N: Um… There's been no reviews for the previous chapter, so… I'm having a crisis of faith here. I have a lot of stuff planned up, so this'll be a long story, but I don't see any point in finishing this if there's no one reading this, so… Are there any readers out there? Please, tell me if this story is worth continuing! Is there anyone wanting to read this until the end?

Well, anyway, here comes chapter seven.

* * *

CHAPTER 7: All about the family Hiwatari 

Ray didn't remember ever running as fast as he was running down the stairs of the hospital, until he finally emerged. All the while he was dialing numbers, at least for tenth time trying to reach Mr. Dickinson. Again, it was the answering-machine he was talking to.

" Where are you? We have and emergency here!" he growled, then hang up. "Damnit! Where the heck is he!".

" We don't have time to wait for him", Alissa announced.

Ray frowned, running after the girl in the hospital's parking-lot. " How are we going to get there on time without transportation?".

Alissa grinned. " Because we already have a transportation". She pointed at her scooter, then put on her helmet. As soon as she reached her bike, she pulled out a blue spare-helmet, throwing it to Ray who caught a nice catch. " Put it on. We don't have all day", she ordered while sitting and starting the bike.

Ray did as he'd been told, then jumped behind the girl and (blushing madly in the covers of his helmet) wrapped his hands around her waist. Not wasting a second, the bike speeded off and away.

* * *

Meanwhile the match between the Hiwatari-siblings had started. The others couldn't help but gasp as they watched the opponents attack each other viciously, like they'd never seen bladers attack before. It was impossible to believe that the two were related. 

" DRANZER!" Kai called his bit-beast, eyes burning.

" GALEIDON!" Nadja summoned hers, eyes dark with concentration. She gave her brother a quick look and grinned coldly. _You're going down, brother._

" Oh man…", Tyson (who was sitting as far away from Dara as possible) sighed worriedly. " Not another mysterious bit-beast…".

" I've seen Galeidon fight", Dara suddenly spoke, for a first time since her secret was revealed. " I was his opponent".

" How did it turn out?" Max asked quietly. At the moment his worry for Kai was greater than the distrust towards Dara.

Dara showed five huge, deep scars on her arm. " He gave me these. My blade was completely trashed, and Zeba almost destroyed".

The others gasped. What kind of a bit-beast could do damage like that!

" Oh man…", Kenny whispered as the beast finally emerged.

Galeidon was… magnificent. It was a bear, possibly the largest bit-beast they'd ever seen. It had a thick, silvery-colored fur, and a biggest set of claws and teeth ever witnessed. And when it roared, the sound nearly exploded their ears.

" This is seriously not good", Tyson predicted darkly.

The others nodded in agreement.

Kai didn't have time to listen to his friends or admire his sister's bit-beast, for the bear was already storming his way.

" Galeidon, PAW-CRUSH!" Nadja commanded.

" Dranzer, SPIRAL SURVIVOR!" Kai called out.

With roars that made the bladers' ears ring painfully, the beasts collided. The energy-field the encounter caused threw both fighters onto the floor.

Kai's lungs emptied as he hit the floor roughly, and he coughed, desperately trying to catch his breath. He had to admit that Nadja had grown impressively strong under Voltaire's training. Worry soon replaced wonder and admiration as he remembered Dranzer, and he shot his gaze first to his blade (which, to his great relief, was still spinning strongly), then Dranzer (who was fighting valiantly against Galeidon's crushing power).

He got back to his feet, gritting his teeth. " Dranzer, FIRE ARROW!" he roared over the beasts' deafening sounds.

" Galeidon, FIGHT HIM! AUREOLE BLAZE!" Nadja hollered, clutching her hands into tight fists.

As the beasts collided again, Kai locked his attention to his sister, who was also up. " Nadja, listen to me! Like I told you before, Tala isn't dead! All the pain you've been through, it's grandfather's fault, not mine!".

Nadja glared daggers at him. " I am not listening to you unless you win".

" Grandfather was the one who had mom and dad killed!". He hated hurting his sister this way, but he had no other choice. " And he was also responsible for Ivan's death!".

* * *

/ _Two boys, both at the age of eleven, ran through the dark hallways of the Abbey, panting and exhausted for the long run. The boy ahead graphed tightly on the other's hand, pulling his worn out companion with him._

" _Come on, Ivan! We have to run, before he finds us!" Kai hissed in Russian in a quiet yet ordering tone._

_Ivan brushed some of his frost-blue bangs off his face and nodded, visibly gritting his teeth to find the strength to carry on. His eyes, other chocolate-brown, other bright-green, showed a terrible amount of fear and fatigue. _

_Neither knew for how long they'd been running as they reached a small, secret tunnel, covered with some sort of a metallic-net. Pushing the last of their strength into extreme, they managed to force the net open just enough for one of them to lurk in. _

" _You first", Ivan demanded, eyes telling that there was no arguing about it._

_Kai nodded and reluctantly, unwilling to leave a friend behind, crawled in. As he was almost there, they both heard the approaching set of steps. Exchanging a terrified glance, they both figured that the men would be there in a matter of seconds._

" _Hurry!" Ivan hissed._

_And just as Kai slipped in, the men were there. Through the net, Kai looked on with terrified eyes as Boris, who was leading the group, stepped before Ivan and slapped the boy so hard that Ivan almost fell._

" _Where's Kai?" Boris demanded. " Tell us, and you'll suffer less"._

" _I'm never telling you", Ivan snarled._

_Giving a loud growl, Boris hit the boy once more, this time even harder, making Ivan fall down onto the hard floor. As soon as Ivan was down, Boris took out his gun and aimed it at the boy's head. In his hiding-place, Kai's teary eyes widened as he helplessly realized what was about to happen._

" _These are the Abbey rules, Ivan", Boris announced as Ivan turned his head and glared at the man, eyes burning with hatred. " Traitor's punishment is death". With that, Boris fired the gun, and Ivan fell to the floor, limp as a puppet who'd had its strings cut._

_After looking at the dead boy in disgust for a moment and growling at the blood staining his shoes, Boris turned towards the men behind him. " Find that brat. Voltaire needs him". He looked at Ivan again, wrinkling his nose. " And clean up this mess"._

" _Yes, sir", one of the men said._ /

* * *

Nadja had tears of pain and anger in her eyes. " I won't believe you!". 

" Voltaire ordered Boris to execute Ivan for helping me escape", Kai continued, ignoring Nadja's protest. " It doesn't matter whether as you believe me or not. Nothing can change the truth".

Tears escaped Nadja's eyes, he could see that the girl was shivering uncontrollably. For a while the girl seemed like she was about to crush under the weight of what she'd just heard, but in a matter of seconds she'd collected herself fully. " Galeidon, CRUSH HIM!" she ordered trough clenched teeth.

" Dranzer, ATTACK!" Kai yelled his own command, and watched as the blades (and beasts) stormed towards each other. Tough he was more exhausted than he ever remembered being after a bey-battle, he refused to give up. This time, he couldn't lose, not with his sister's soul at stake.

Max gasped, blue eyes widening. " Oh crap…".

And with that the blades crushed against each other, causing a blinding flash of light and a blow that made the entire building shutter.

* * *

" Anyone here?" Ray questioned as he opened the door of the team's hotel room. Receiving no reply, he gulped. " Damnit!". 

" Do you have any idea of where they could be?" Alissa inquired, sounding worried.

Shaking his head in reply, Ray stepped further into the room and noticed that something must've happened. The lounge-room seemed like there'd been a fight going on, and the metal-pipe was shining in the light of moon. They could see several droplets of blood.

" Seems like Nadja found them before us", Alissa whispered, eyes slightly widened.

Ray didn't find words to reply. Suddenly he saw something on the floor, glittering in the dim light. With a slight frown he stepped forward and crouched, taking the object into his hand. It was a silvery, oval-shaped pendant that had a ruby-stone decorating it. His eyes widened as he remembered who he'd seen wearing it.

_Kai…_

All of a sudden, he had an idea, and his golden eyes flashed as he clutched the pendant into tight fist. " I know where they are".

* * *

As it was finally possible to see something, the four teenagers who'd been watching the match quickly looked to see what had happened. Kai, who'd been struck down onto the floor by the blow, was slowly getting back to his feet, eyes flashing. Nadja was already up, glaring at her brother. The group quickly looked at the blades, and relieved sighs escaped as they discovered that Dranzer, tough it was severely damaged, was still spinning. Galeidon, conversely, was lying lifelessly on the ground, trashed. 

Nadja growled as she picked up her blade. She had never lost a battle before, no matter how strong her opponent had been. What the heck had gone wrong!

" Now listen to me, Nadja, and listen to me carefully". Kai's tone was hoarse and commanding, unlike anyone had ever heard before. As Nadja's furious eyes met his, he begun. " When our parents met, mom was a young doctor in the Abbey and dad one of Voltaire's guinea pigs. Against all odds they fell in love. Unfortunately Boris – who was deeply attracted to mom – found out, and they had to escape to spare their lives. And so they lived from thereon, travelling around the world, avoiding Voltaire. One day I was born. That only increased Voltaire's hunger. He knew that dad wouldn't help him achieve his maniac dreams, but a grandson could be just what he needed. And so he came up with a plan to get his hands on me". Kai's eyes were filled with pain, it was almost unbearable to live again those memories. " So, when I was seven and it was your sixth birthday, he found us and attacked. You were sleeping upstairs, so you couldn't know what was going on, but I was right there, watching it happen before my eyes. Watching Voltaire murdering our parents". Kai squeezed his eyes tightly shut to ease the pain, but it only grew as the images he'd so hard tried to forget pushed back. A single tear rolled to his cheek, but he wiped it away angrily and snapped his eyes open. They were filled with hatred and deep anguish. " Voltaire took me and made me train with Black Dranzer. His dream was to turn me into a perfect soldier that would make the entire world bow down before him. I couldn't fight him, no matter how desperately I wanted to – not when he had you as a blackmail-tool". Kai's eyes darkened. " That's why he took you too, that's why he didn't get rid of you: he needed you to make sure that I'd obey. And for a longest time I did. But then… I found something mom gave me when I was six. Dranzer". All of a sudden Kai's eyes became almost soft. " Do you remember, Nadja? It was a Hiwatari-tradition. When we became six-years old, we were given our bit-beasts. You were given Galeidon the day they…". Kai shuttered slightly, and the tenderness was gone from his eyes. " Voltaire had done great job with hiding Dranzer from me, but the day I found her was the day my fight against him begun. After that he used you ruthlessly against me: made you hate me, made you fight me. But that only made me fight harder, for I knew that it was the only way to save you from him. To save you from going through all the things that have been done to me…". He trailed off and sighed, seeming sad. " Eventually Voltaire decided that I was too dangerous to be kept in the Abbey. He had my memories erased, but now I remember the most. (He gave Dara a swift, disappointed glare.) I remember who are on my side". He closed his eyes for a moment. " Voltaire has hurt so many people, Nadja. He isn't our grandfather. He's a monster".

Shivering even more than before, Nadja squinted her eyes. " Why should I believe you? Those people died because of you! I have no reason to believe you!".

" How about believing in me?" came a familiar voice.

Turning their heads in disbelief, they saw Tala standing by the door of the training-hall, arms crossed over his chest. Tough Tala was still slightly paler than usual, his blue eyes were burning.

Nadja gasped, eyes wide, unable to believe her eyes. " No… It can't be… You… died…".

Tala smirked. " You really should know me better than that".

As the others stared in disbelief, Nadja lost control over herself completely when she rushed towards the redhead and, unaware of his injuries, threw herself into his arms, burying her face into his chest. Shuttering slightly from pain, Tala smiled faintly and wrapped his arms around the girl, holding her tenderly. After a long moment, Tala gently pushed the girl away from him to look at her. His eyes were stern as he spoke quietly in Russian. " Listen to me, Nadja. Kai isn't responsible to any of the suffering around you, to the pain in your heart. For as long as I've known him he's been trying to protect you and save you from that hell. He loves you, Nadja. Trust me".

" How very sweet, Tala. I am almost sorry to interrupt this", came a cold, emotionless voice. Turning their heads, they saw Voltaire Hiwatari standing at the doorway with Boris and about ten other men, all in arms. With an ice-cold smile, he looked at Nadja and Dara. " Thank you girls for your marvelous job".

Staring into her grandfather's ice-cold, soulless eyes, Nadja finally had to face the truth. The man before her wasn't a grandfather to love. She was looking at a murderer. The thought made rage she'd never thought existed boil in her veins, and only Tala's tight grip kept her from attacking on the man. " How could you!" she screamed, tears flooding without her knowing it. " You killed them all! Mom, dad, Ivan… HOW COULD YOU!".

Voltaire seemed amused as he looked at her. " Silly, childish girl", he commented. He then walked towards Kai, a chilling smile on his lips. " Now I finally found you, grandson. I must confess that it has been quite a task to track you down, but it only proves that I have trained you well".

" Don't you dare touch him!". Everyone stared in surprise as Dara suddenly jumped ahead and stood before Kai to protect him from Voltaire, her eyes flaming. " You've hurt him enough, Voltaire. Let him be".

Voltaire made a sound that resembled a laughter. " And what are you going to do to stop me?". He punched the girl with all his strength, and snorted as she fell, almost blacking out. " Pathetic".

As Voltaire was about to kick the girl, everyone surprised once again when Kai threw himself above her, shielding her. His eyes seemed almost ruby-red as he glared at Voltaire. " I've taken enough from you, you bastard. I am not watching you hurting her".

Voltaire lifted his eyebrow as he looked at Kai taking still dazed Dara into his arms and holding her tightly. " My, my, my… Is this how weak I taught you to be?".

" Don't give me that 'love is for the weak'-bullshit. I'm too old to believe in it", Kai growled in Russian.

That made Voltaire lose his temper completely. He kicked Kai hard in the face, but despite the blood that oozed from his nose Kai didn't utter a sound. Instead the boy glared at him and, letting by then pretty much fully recovered Dara gently slide from his arms, got up with his hands clenched into tight fists. Without a slightest hint of fear, he met his grandfather's gaze. " After all the pain you've brought me, a lousy kick like that doesn't make any difference".

As a response, Voltaire punched Kai harder than he'd ever punched anyone before, making Kai's head jerk sideways and his friends gasp. " Do not mess around with me, grandson, unless you want me to hurt those pitiable amateurs next", the man hissed, referring to the shocked group that helplessly watched the scenario.

The burning in Kai's eyes told that Voltaire had made a big mistake and, unable to hold himself back any longer, he punched his grandfather with all his might. " Leave my friends out of this", he snarled dangerously.

Voltaire growled, then seemed almost amused. " 'Friends', you say? I never thought you would be such a naïve fool. They would hardly accept you if they'd know everything about you and your pretty little past, grandson. If only they'd know all the things you've done, what you really are…". The man's eyes flashed. " Now… I did not wish to be forced into this, but now that you are giving me no other choice…". He pulled out his gun, eyes dark, and aimed at gasping Dara, his soulless eyes on his grandson, who was shivering from rage. " Remember Kai, this is one more death that lies on your shoulders". He suddenly shifted the gun, taking a new target, and fired.

* * *

Both Ray and Alissa, who'd also arrived to the training-hall, jumped as they heard the gunshot. Eyes wide, they looked at each other. 

" What the heck was that!" Alissa whispered.

Ray gulped, guessing the answer. " Voltaire".

They were just about to sprint forward when both froze. Cold metal, a gun, no doubt, was pressed against both of their heads.

" Well hello", the man aiming at Ray greeted.

" We thought that there was someone missing from our party", the one behind Alissa stated.

* * *

TBC?

* * *

A/N: So here was another chapter. Once again: **please**, tell me if this is worth continuing or not! 


	8. Fire and ashes

A/N: Guess what? The story goes on! And it's **all** thanks to you!

You have no idea of how much your reviews mean to me, and I can't give a big hug enough to thank you for it, but I still try. (hugs you **tightly**) You see, I only post this story because of you, so if I wouldn't know you're there… Gosh, I don't even know what I'm saying, I'm so overwhelmed! I can't believe you're bearing with me and my pathetically small ego, and I can't thank you enough for that! You're all precious to me, you know that? (grins and hugs you again)

Okay… Um… 'Bout time to go on with the story, wouldn't you say? Suppose I left you on flaming carbons...

* * *

CHAPTER 8: Fire and ashes

Screams… Smoke… Pain…

Closed eyelids twitched, unwilling to open up.

Cruel slash of pain that hammered her head made her whimper. " Hurts…".

She was just about to drift back into blissful darkness, when another set of screams roughly prevented it.

" Help us!" a boy's voice yelled, filled with desperation. There were coughs, the scent of smoke was suddenly much stronger. " Somebody, anybody, help!".

With a huge struggle, she forced her heavy eyelids crack open just enough to see. At first, everything was just a blur, but after a while the image became clearer.

There was a fire little by little taking over the entire building, approaching the teenagers who helplessly called for help, their hands tied. Her eyes opened wide, scanning the people. There were three missing.

_Damnit!_

With a deep frown, she tried to clear out her spinning thoughts.

There'd been a sound of gun going off, and then pain. Someone's arms, screams, head hitting the floor hard, everything turning black…

Her eyes widened. Arms, yes. Tala's arms, trying to catch her as she fell, holding her as darkness engulfed her. She'd been shot. But how…? Voltaire _never_ missed. How could she be still alive?

Dazed, she pulled herself into a sitting position, head spinning, and touched her leather-jacket-covered chest, where the bullet-hole was, and frowned again as her fingers met something hard, metallic. Searching her jacket's secret inner pocket, she gasped slightly as she pulled out the object. It was a beautiful, silvery pocket-mirror. A present Tala had given her for her birthday a long time ago. It had a single sentence engraved onto it in Russian, now shattered by the bullet.

_Never forget who you really are._

A single tear rolled over her cheek as she put the mirror back to where it'd been. " I'm sorry", she whispered, tough she knew that Tala, or her brother for that matter, couldn't hear her.

" Help us!".

The loud scream ripped Nadja back into reality, and as she looked at the approaching flames, she realized that she'd have to do something, fast. Ignoring her spinning and aching head and the slightly disoriented view, she rushed towards the tied people. Much faster than expected in the condition she was in, she'd freed them, and they begun to dart towards safety, away from the hungry flames. Somewhere outside sounds of sirens were approaching.

Screams of terror and pain could be heard as the building begun to collapse, bigger and smaller pieces of burning wood raining on them. Nadja's eyes were exhausted as she looked forward, seeing a door to freedom.

_Just for a little while longer…_

All of a sudden, relief was replaced by guilt and fear as she remembered that something, or rather someone, was missing. Anxiety briefly flashed in her almost black eyes before she skillfully hid it. " Where are Kai, Tala and Dara?" she questioned the raven-haired boy running beside her, slightly out of breath. She inwardly hissed in pain as piece of burning wood cruelly touched her arm.

The boy looked at her with fear and worry in his catlike eyes. " Voltaire took them. I… I don't know…". He trailed off and she nodded, signaling that she understood. A tight knot squeezed itself around her chest.

Soon enough they were out of the door, ignoring the painful fire-burns they all had by then. Immediately freezing, breath-catching winter-air hit their faces. Only Nadja, who'd gotten used to the coldness of Russia after living there for all her life, wasn't shivering as they made their way towards the firefighters and medics who someone had called there. The rescue-group seemed bewildered as they saw the poor-shaped, coughing group wobbling towards them.

" Oh my gosh…", one of the medics gasped, rushing towards them. " Are you kids okay?".

Just one look revealed they weren't. They were all exhausted and burned. Kenny squeezed slightly damaged Dizzy against his chest like she was the only thing keeping him from collapsing. Tyson and Max were leaning on each other, both looking like they might fall down at any moment. After escaping from the building, Ray had taken Alissa and carried her as her leg was badly burned, tough he looked like he might stumble at any moment. The girl was almost unconscious in his arms. Nadja, who had a nasty wound on her head from when it hit the floor, could barely stand as her head was spinning worse than ever. So, to put it shortly: they were a mess.

The rest of the medics rushed towards them, escorting them to safety.

" Were there anyone else besides you?" one of the medics inquired in a pretty good English while taking a critical look at Alissa's leg.

" There were three of our friends, but… they were taken…", Ray murmured, exhausted and frustrated, rubbing his face roughly with both hands.

The medic frowned, turning her gaze to Ray. " 'Taken'?".

Tyson sighed. " Looks like there's some explaining we need to do…".

The medic nodded. " Yes, there is. But you can do it in the hospital; you must all be checked up. The one who arranged a rescue-team to find you is waiting there".

They all looked at her questioningly. " Who is it?" Kenny asked.

" Mr. Dickinson".

* * *

It was cold, colder than he ever remembered it being. A dripping sound came to his ears, but he hardly registered it. He squeezed his eyes shut tighter to keep the tears from coming, but one of them still broke through.

Nadja was dead. His friends were dead. Dranzer was gone. And it was all his fault.

Sudden sound of door opening with a screech washed all thoughts away. His breath caught into his throat as a huge bucket of ice-cold water was poured over him. " Wake up, brat. Voltaire comes to see you in five minutes", harsh male-voice told him. With that the steps distanced, and as the door was slammed shut he was left alone into the dark, shivering from cold that hammered his soaked body.

" Kai?" a soft, strained voice called quietly, sounding to him like it'd came from somewhere very far away.

Kai didn't want to open up his eyes, to face the reality. If he'd just keep his eyes closed and refuse to believe, everything could be alright once more.

" Kai, please…".

The pleading forced him to crack his stinging eyes slightly open, and he blinked at the darkness that met him. Clearing out his head, he figured out that he was in a cell. " Dara…", he whispered in a harsh tone, voice almost too weak to be heard. " Where… are… we?".

Rustles of movement could be heard from a nearby cell. " In the Abbey". More sounds of movement were heard. As she spoke again, her voice was tightened by probably spilling tears. " I'm sorry, you have to believe me. I… I never meant this, none of this".

" I understand your reasons", he whispered. " I remember what this place can do… I know why you had to do it…".

Dara sniffed, and the sound almost broke his heart. He wished he could've touched the girl, or at least see her. " I came to you to lure you here, but… All these feelings, they… I couldn't…".

" Sh…", he whispered, closing his eyes to keep tears from coming. " It's okay". Her sobs slowly ceased, and he took a deep breath to compose himself, entire body convulsing from cold. " Look, we have to get out of here, to see if the others made it", he told her, speaking as strongly as he possibly could with the thought of Nadja and his friends being dead banging his mind. " Where's Tala?".

Dara gave a one last sob. " I don't know".

Kai fought the urge to curse, deciding that he'd have to stay strong. He nodded, although Dara couldn't see it. " Okay. We'll find him, 'k? Then… we'll try to leave". He couldn't help wondering if there really was a way out.

Losing himself into his thoughts, he leaned his back against the cold stone-wall and sighed quietly. Voltaire had always been known for his preciseness. Pain unlike anything he'd ever felt before rose in Kai's chest as he couldn't help strongly doubting if his sister and friends were still alive. A tear he didn't even notice slid down his cheek.

_Gosh, I'm so sorry, you have to believe me, wherever you are… Please forgive me…_

* * *

In the hospital, most of the group had already been inspected and passed it (though Nadja and Alissa needed bandaging) when Mr. Dickinson entered the room they'd been placed into.

" Hi boys and girls", he greeted, sounding and seeming far more solemn than usually as he took a seat. " Is everyone alright?".

" Yeah, just small burns and scratches. Nadja and Alissa need some time to recover, though", Tyson murmured, leaning his head against Max's shoulder exhaustedly, eyes only halfway open.

" Any news of Kai and the others?" Ray asked, sounding tense.

Mr. D shook his head sadly. " Sorry boys, but it seems that the entire Abbey has disappeared underground, and my resources are limited".

Nadja let out a furious growl, squeezing her hands into tight fists as if trying not to punch someone. Long list of Russian swear-words escaped through her lips. It wasn't until then the others realized how much the girl had gone through that night. In just few hours her entire world had came crumbling down, and now she was left with people she didn't even know. For a while they thought about offering her words or actions of comfort, but eventually decided not to. If she was anything like her brother, pity would only anger her more.

For a while thick, depressed silence occupied the room as everyone drifted into their own thoughts.

" How did you knew to come to us?" Kenny finally asked, unable to stand the silence any longer.

Mr. D smiled slightly, looking at Ray who didn't seem to be aware of his surroundings. " Ray had left me quite many anxious messages. I begun to panic when I got them and didn't manage to contact you. After some phone-calls I found out that Voltaire had escaped from prison, so I decided to send some of my employees to look for you". He sighed. " You can't even imagine how glad I am that they found you on time".

The conversation went on, but Ray paid no attention to any of it. Sighing inwardly, he took out Kai's blade the Russian had never gotten a chance to pick up. Sure enough, he'd managed to save the damn blade, but had been no use in helping his friend.

_Damnit!_, he cursed mentally, fighting against the tears of pure frustration. _There must've been something I could've done! How could I let this happen? How could I fail him like this?_

All of a sudden his eyes flashed with determination, and he squeezed the blade tightly.

_I swear to you Kai, we will save you. Whatever it takes._

" We're wasting time", Nadja's frustrated snarl ripped him out of his thoughts.

" She's right", Ray heard himself saying, his eyes still on Dranzer. " We should be helping them, not lazing around".

Tyson looked at him understandingly. " We'll find him", the Dragon announced quietly. " We have to".

* * *

TBC.

* * *

A/N: What will happen to Kai and the others? You know there's only one way to find out…

Oh, and **please** do review! You must know by now that it's worth it!


	9. Promises

A/N: I'm back again with another chapter! Yet again, thank you so much for your reviews! You probably have no idea of how much they mean to my teeny ego.

I don't usually do personal a/n's, but this time I just have to. **Lady Of The Damned Land**, first of all, I want to send you a huge hug and thank you that doesn't even fit into one a/n! Not only have you helped gain confidence, but it's thanks to you (and other reviewers too, of course) that this fic actually goes on. And I especially want to thank you for recommending this! I can't believe someone sees so much trouble for my silly writings! I just checked the hits and it really does seems like there are people reading this – the number of hits is on average between 70 and 80! (The number, I believe, would be far bigger, if this wasn't an OC-fic.) And – wow – (including you) ten people have ranked this as their favorite story! I suppose the people who've found this are just those I like to call silent readers – they read and possibly even like, but don't dare to send out a review. (I must confess that I'm one of them – I've only ever sent five reviews, to those best of the best.) Anyway, once again **thank you**! I hope you like this new chapter as much as you've seemed to like the previous ones.

Oh, one more thing, this time to all of you! Bryan will pop up into this story in this chapter. As I've previously mentioned, I've never seen him (or Tala and Boris, for that matter) in the official series, and I don't basically have a clue of what he's like, so I improvise with the very little I know. He's most likely badly OCC (which I'm deeply sorry about), and much softer than in the series, but… Well, he's been through a huge trauma (in this chapter it's revealed what), so I would think that softens people. After all, he's only human – isn't he?

Okay, okay, now on with the story.

* * *

CHAPTER 9: Promises 

The darkness that had closed around Kai was so thick that he'd never experienced anything like that before. Instead of eyes, he used other senses to find out where he was being taken.

Stone under hard, heavy footsteps.

Quietly muttered words.

A sickening smell of cigarette, the kind he knew Voltaire loved.

" We're here now", Voltaire's toneless voice told suddenly, and at the same moment the two men 'escorting' him stopped, still holding him painfully tightly. " Take off his blindfold. It's time for him to see what I want him to do."

" If this is another sick game to make me prove my loyalty…", Kai begun, but the words caught into his throat as the view was presented to him.

On the floor, not too far away from where he was standing, was Tala, on his knees, hands tied up behind his back. The redhead was terribly beaten up, but as their eyes met Kai could immediately see that the ice-cold fire still existed in the piercing-blue orbs.

At first Kai was overjoyed to see that at least one of his friends was still alive, that someone had been spared. But then… He shuttered slightly when seeing a gun placed on the small table nearby, and it was hard to keep all emotions hidden as he looked at Voltaire. " What are you expecting me to do?" he inquired.

Voltaire's face showed no emotions as the chilling reply came. " You have rebelled against me many times, grandson. _Too_ many times. Now, it's time for you to prove your loyalty to me." He kept a short pause, obviously to add drama, then looked at Tala. " I want you to finish up that useless piece of filth."

Kai's heart skipped many beats as the words sunk in. " What?" he finally gasped.

" I believe you heard me perfectly." Voltaire took the gun and walked up to him, holding out the weapon. " Do it, or you will pay the prise of defying me."

" Do it, Kai." Though Tala's voice was just barely above whisper, his eyes told that he definitely meant what he was saying. " Please. I… I could never live with myself, knowing what that bastard will do to you if you don't obey."

Kai's eyes grew huge as he shook his head. " No. I will never hurt you."

A heavy punch of Voltaire's fist that met his cheek, almost dropping him unconscious, told that the man was definitely not pleased. As Kai looked at the elder, eyes burning, Voltaire once again held the gun out for him, eyes darker than he'd ever seen them. " You have killed several times before, grandson, and you also know perfectly how to handle a gun. So I don't see what the problem is." The man's eyes seemed to squint. " I suggest you to obey. There are punishments far worse than death, you see?"

" Kai, DO IT!" Tala growled. " Do it or I'll never forgive you!"

Hand shaking and tears just barely under his control, Kai took the gun. At the same moment his hand squeezed around cold metal and he turned around, pointing at Tala with the gun, a memory came to his mind.

* * *

/ _Four children, three at the age of seven and one almost six, were sitting in a small café in Russia. The mood was far from joyful: two of them would be leaving later that day. _

" _I still don't understand", the red-haired boy stated in Russian, sipping his soda. " Why do you guys have to leave?"_

" _Oh Tala, I wish we could stay", the youngest of the four, a girl with long, black hair, sighed. " But we have to go, or grandpa will find us." Her eyes were filled with sadness as she looked at the boy. " I wish we wouldn't have to leave."_

_There was a long, mourning silence._

" _But you will be able to have contact on us, right?" the older girl with shortcut purple hair finally said, blinking her sapphire-blue eyes. " Right?"_

_The fourth member of the group, a boy with two-toned hair, sighed heavily. " Dara…." He couldn't say the rest. " I'm sorry."_

" _But you can't just… disappear from us!" Dara cried._

" _We don't have a choice. This is the only way for us to avoid getting into grandpa's hands", Kai explained sadly. " But these are not goodbyes. No matter what or how long it takes, we'll come back to you."_

" _How can we trust on that?" Tala asked, slight suspicion in his eyes._

" _Because we give you these", Nadja replied, taking something out of her pocket. " As long as we have these, we'll be together – and no one can ever break that bond."_

_That objects she'd taken out were revealed to be four extremely beautiful silvery, oval-shaped pendants. Each of them carried a stone: one ruby, one sapphire, one opal and the last one jade._

" _Where on earth did you get these?" Dara gasped, delicately taking the pendant that carried jade._

_Nadja beamed, her previous sorrow momentarily forgotten. " Dad made these for my birthday. He said that at least a part of the Hiwatari-fortune should be put into good use." As she took her own pendant that carried opal, she was still smiling. " You see, these pendants will always remind us of each other. No matter how far away from each other we are, we'll always carry something of each other with us."_

_Slowly, small smile came to Tala's face as well. " And we'll never forget about each other."_

_Nadja nodded. " No matter what, the four of us will always be there for each other. We will always be friends."_

_Without noticing it, the four of them joined hands, all smiling. " Always", they promised._

_What they didn't know was the twenty-four hours later, everything would be turned upside down._ /

* * *

Head spinning, Kai let out a feral scream. " NO!" Turning around faster than he'd ever moved, he was suddenly aiming the gun at Voltaire, who still refused to show any emotions. Kai's eyes flashed. " Rot in hell, _grandfather_." With that, he pulled the trigger – but to his surprise, there wasn't a sound of gunshot. 

Voltaire smirked. " Do you really think I'm that stupid, grandson?" Voltaire took the bullets that were supposed to be in the gun from his pocket. " You were right. This was a test of loyalty." The man's eyes flashed hazardously. " And you failed."

" You sick bastard", Kai growled through gritted teeth. " I will make you pay for this."

Voltaire almost smiled, amusement in his soulless eyes. " Actually, my dear grandson, I think it's the contrary." The old man turned his gaze to his men. " Put that foolish grandson of mine into my room, I will… get to him shortly." He then looked at Tala, wrinkling his nose. " And take that piece of filth out of my sight. I will decide what to do with him after I'm through with my grandson."

" Get your hands off me!" Kai hissed at the two men that graphed him with much more force than was necessary.

" Kai!" Tala's desperate voice caught his attention and he turned his gaze, seeing the blue orbs boring into his, filled with determination. At that moment, he knew that Tala also remembered the promise made when they'd taken the pendants. And there was now a new promise in Tala's eyes.

_We will all get out of here, somehow, someway._

Kai nodded, but the sadness in his eyes told that he didn't exactly believe in this new pledge.

_I wish I could believe you._

But they both knew that the Abbey was no place for promises.

As Kai was lead towards Voltaire's room – where he knew nothing good could possibly be waiting for him – he passed the cell where a familiar figure was captured. " Dara…"

The girl's eyes widened as she saw him. In a matter of seconds she had came as close as the bars allowed her to, squeezing the metal tightly. " Kai! What's going on!" The utter fear in her eyes told that she knew perfectly what he would soon be facing.

He opened his mouth to speak, but before a sound could leave his throat the men taking him forced him to move forward. Just before Kai was dragged out of the door, he managed to shout in Spanish, the one language only he and Dara in the Abbey could understand. " Dara, whatever happens, whatever Voltaire tells you, don't give up! Promise me!" With that, the door slammed shut between them.

A single tear slid down Dara's cheek as her knees gave way and she slumped onto the cold, dusty floor. " If you promise me the same thing" , she whispered, tough Kai couldn't hear her.

She suddenly felt cold shivers run down her spine as the door on the opposite side of the room opened, and the familiar, nauseating scent of colon met her nose. " I have an offer for you, Dara", Voltaire's chilling voice told her.

Her eyes squinted. " What offer would I possibly take from you?"

" One that has Kai's well-being at stake", Voltaire replied, no emotions in his voice.

Her eyes were widened as she turned her head, looking at him. " What!"

Voltaire's eyes were dark as he approached her cell, so close that he could've touched her if he'd wanted to. " I'm sure that you are smart enough to realize that Kai is going to suffer a punishment", he stated. He continued after she had replied with a nod. " But you are the one to decide how much he'll have to suffer."

She was shivering all over, beginning to understand what he was about to suggest. " What do you mean?"

Voltaire's hand brushed her cheek, and she couldn't help shuttering when seeing the lust in his eyes that were even darker than before. " The more you are willing to do for me, the less Kai will have to suffer."

* * *

As Tala was thrown into his cell and the guards had left, he could immediately hear movement from the cell nearby. " Tala?" Bryan's voice asked quietly, filled with worry. " What did they do to you?" 

" Nothing out of ordinary", he whispered. That was far from the truth, but he couldn't bring himself into telling Bryan how badly he'd been beaten up – and that the worst was yet to come.

" Alright." Bryan's voice told that the boy didn't believe him, but the other was sensitive enough not to force him into telling what he didn't want to.

It was silent for a while, until Tala noticed something missing. " Bry… Where are Ian and Spencer?"

Even tough he couldn't see Bryan, he could picture the look that was upon his friend's face at the moment. " I… I'm sorry, Tala…" There was a pause. " Boris… After you were taken away, he… He took them into the Section."

Tala's eyes widened, and it became hard to breath. " Oh my God…"

Everyone who'd spent time in the Abbey knew that of all punishments, of all possible things that could be done in that place described as hell, the Section was the worst. None of those who'd gone there had returned.

It took for a long time before Tala spoke, and even then his voice was thick due to the tears he was desperately trying to hold back. " Bryan… I can't take this anymore." He swallowed hard, and felt that some tears had escaped. " We have to get away from here." He had to pause to get himself composed. " We have to take Kai and Dara with us. They… they'll die here."

It took for a long moment before Bryan spoke. " How the heck do you think we're gonna get away from here? Only one has ever made it out."

" I don't know." His eyes flashed. " But we've gotta find a way." _I promised Kai…_

Silence fell upon them.

* * *

Kai didn't know for how long he'd been waiting in Voltaire's office when the man finally entered, seeming as emotionless as ever. " I suppose you would like to know how I have decided to punish your disrespect." 

His eyes flashed. " You can't do anything that would beat what you've already done."

Seeming to ignore him, Voltaire walked up to his desk and unhurriedly took a bottle of old whisky Kai knew to be very expensive, pouring just a little of the liquid to a small glass. " I had a lot planned up for your punishment, but Dara… helped me change my mind. But – of course – there is one punishment she couldn't undo." The man held a pause, looking at the whisky in the glass. " You see… I am sure you remember what I told you would follow if you would ever betray me, the Hiwatari-family-name."

Kai's eyes darkened as he begun to realize. " Yes, I do", he stated, working his hardest to keep all emotions away from his voice, and touched his painted cheeks with his fingertips. " You told me you'd tattoo these shark-fins onto my face so that I'd never forget my sins."

Voltaire nodded. " That's right." The man took a taste of his whisky, the look upon his face telling that he liked it. " You have rebelled against me for several times, but I have been patient. Perhaps too much of so. It is time to carry out your punishment." The man looked at him, something so dark in his eyes that it was almost enough to freeze Kai's heart, and put away his emptied glass. " But you won't have blue tattoos, because blue is the second colour of Hiwatari-family, and you are no longer worthy of that name."

For a while, Kai thought about escaping, but realized that it wasn't possible. Behind the door, he knew at least ten of Voltaire's best men would be on guard – the elder was too much afraid of him to face him alone. So all he could do was sit to the chair Voltaire kicked towards him, and pray that the torment would end soon.

" Usually, I would have one of the doctors to do this, but with you, I will make an exception", the man told him while preparing his instruments. After some agonisingly long moments, Voltaire was ready, and begun approaching him. " Don't worry, grandson. I will not cause you any less pain than you deserve."

Kai squeezed his eyes tightly shut as the needle punctured the skin of cheek over and over again, with all his willpower trying to block out the indescribable pain.

His friends… With all his might he held onto the images that filled his mind, though they seemed so distant that it was almost impossible. Nadja, Tyson, Ray, Max, Kenny…

It wasn't until then he realized.

Those people… They didn't exist anymore… He'd been stupid, he'd gotten careless. And it had cost the lives of almost everyone he cared about.

He no longer felt the pain that Voltaire caused while making the tattoo. Instead his entire being became filled with ache of other kind, and he suddenly felt like he'd been falling into a bottomless, cold hole. His body turned cold and numb, and his chest hurt, almost like the blood that rushed into his heart had been turned into ice.

He'd made many mistakes, but this one he'd never be able to forgive himself. He deserved these tattoos, for he was exactly what Voltaire had said.

A traitor. A worthless piece of filth.

His eyes mirrored none of the emotions whirling inside of him as he finally opened them to see that Voltaire was finished. He felt the pain that flooded from his cheek through his entire body, but soon became numb to it as the comforting coldness once again filled him. " Is it done?" he asked Voltaire, who was just putting away his instruments.

" See for yourself", the man replied, giving him a small, dirty mirror. " From now on, whenever you look into a mirror, you will always see the face of a traitor."

Kai's face remained blank, and his body still felt numb as the face he met in the mirror were decorated with black shark-fin tattoos.

* * *

Some hours later, Voltaire and Boris met in the best-decorated room of the Abbey. " We have to get rid of this place before those annoying friends of my grandson's find us", Voltaire growled, eyes flashing. " Is everything prepared?" 

Boris nodded. " Yes, Master. It will all begin tomorrow."

" Good." Voltaire touched the wall with his hand. " It is almost a shame to destroy such a magnificent place, and all our students, you know? Such a waste of good, hard work…." He then looked at Boris again. " I assume that the car will pick us up before the destruction begins?"

Boris nodded again. " Yes."

" Excellent." Voltaire's eyes became as dark as night-sky. " By the end of tomorrow, there will be nothing left of this place – or its inhabitants." He would've laughed, had that been a part of his voice-repertoire. " If those idiots are still looking for Kai, they will find nothing but ruins."

* * *

TBC.

* * *

A/N: Oh crap! Is Voltaire really gonna destroy the Abbey? Things seriously don't seem too bright right now. 

Please, keep on reviewing! As I've told you before, it's worth it.


	10. Lost?

A/N: Yippee, another chapter done! Once again, **HUGE** thanks for your reviews! I don't think I even have to mention how much they mean to me. If you won't manage to make my ego grow, no one can. (grins)

Before letting you know what happens next, there's one more thing. (As always…) There are two flashbacks in this chapter, and I'd like to note that the second one takes place right after the first one. (Just thought I should mention so you won't get confused or anything.)

Oh, and remember that if you ever feel like asking something concerning this fic, I won't bite. (Just felt like mentioning.)

Okay, I suppose it's 'bout time to go on. Hope you like this chappy.

* * *

CHAPTER 10: Lost?

/ _After being thrown into his cold, smelly cell and finding out what had happened to Spencer and Ian, Tala tried furiously to figure out a way to get out of the place, though he knew that it was practically impossible. First of all, the place was even harder to escape than prison, and secondly, he was still rather badly injured from the handling Boris had given him before he ended up into the hospital and after he'd been taken back into the Abbey. Besides, he couldn't leave without Kai, Bryan and Dara, and when even escaping alone was impossible… _

_He was ripped out of his thoughts when the door suddenly opened, and one of Voltaire's men was stood by the doorway. " Since Master Voltaire is busy, I was assigned to carry out his punishment for you", the man informed him._

_Tala snorted. " Oh joy…", he muttered and forced his badly throbbing body up, steeling himself for what was to come. " Bring it on, then. There's no reason to wait any longer."_

_As the handling begun, he suddenly wished he hadn't pushed the man's buttons. Kick, so hard that the man was obviously using full force, met his ribs, and he coughed, unable to stop himself, as pain flooded through him after a sickening sound of ribs breaking. He tried to stand tall with all his might, but eventually sunk to his knees anyway as his legs went very weak all of a sudden. Another kick, this time aimed at his head, and as he fell to all fours blood seeped from his face and mouth to the filthy, dusty floor. The dizziness and pain made it almost impossible to stay conscious, but he did it anyway. He couldn't collapse, not there._

_He was only allowed to compose himself for few brief moments before he was dragged back up again, held by his collars. The man lifted him so that their noses almost touched, he could smell the man's bad breath that made it even harder to stay awake. " You know, that wasn't a part of the punishment, but everyone deserves some pleasure, wouldn't you say?" He was thrown back to the floor, so hard that his old wounds were torn open, and he couldn't suppress a yelp. " This, brat, was the punishment." Turning his head slowly, he saw the man holding a gun, aiming at him. His breath caught into his throat as he saw the man's fingers squeeze the trigger tighter, tighter…_ /

* * *

Beep… Beep… Beep…

Eyes opened slightly as the sound reached his ears, everything hazy and disoriented in his view. It appeared that he was laying in a bed, hooked on tubes and machines.

Where was he? For how long had he been here? Could the place be a hospital? But how…?

As the view gradually begun to get clearer, he tried to make his memory work for him once again. He could tell that something bad had happened, something terrible. Had someone died? There'd been a gunshot, or no, two of them. Who'd gotten hit?

A huge wave of pain suddenly went through his arm and head, making him groan and squeeze his eyes tightly shut.

" Hey, are you awake?"

The voice was familiar. He'd heard it before. He let out a whimper as another attack of pain shot through him.

* * *

/ _Out of blue, just before the gun was fired, a scream pierced the heavy silence. " NO!" Echo of the gunshot was left lingering in the walls as someone tackled the man down. _

_From his shock and dizziness Tala didn't notice the flying bullet on time, and let out a yelp of surprise and pain as it scratched his arm, leaving a deep, nasty wound. " AH!"_

_For some moments he sat paralyzed, fighting against the darkness that tried to engulf him. As thoughts finally begun to clear out, he lifted his blurry gaze, and gasped at the view. The man slowly got up, hissing, and turned his furious glare to the obviously outraged boy that had tackled him down. Tala blinked in daze. " Bryan?"_

" _How the hell did you get out of your cell?" the man growled, by then up, and punched Bryan before the boy could even guess it coming._

_Despite the pain the punch must've caused, Bryan laughed haughtily. " You guys are too careless with your keys." Bryan showed the keys he was holding. " Seem familiar? You dropped them while beating up my friend."_

_Tala gasped as the man's kick made Bryan fly down to the floor. The boy slide a long way before bouncing into a wall. Growling, the man pulled out a long knife, approaching the couching, barely conscious boy. " Voltaire didn't tell me to finish up you too, but since you're all going to die tonight anyway, it doesn't matter."_

_It wasn't until then Tala's still disordered brain begun to work properly. _

_I have to do something!_

_Looking around, head still spinning, he suddenly spotted the gun the man had never remembered to pick up. Unable to stand up because of his wooziness, Tala crawled to the weapon and graphed it, unsteadily pointing at the man with it._

_This is it, Bryan thought as the man lifted his knife, ready to plunge it into him. " This is what you get for defying your superiors, brat", the man hissed._

_All of a sudden there was a sound of gunshot, and the man who'd before seemed confident and arrogant got a shocked expression upon his face. The man tried to speak, but instead his eyes closed and he fell forward, landing onto equally shocked Bryan's feet. The boy could easily see the blood that poured out of the gunshot-wound on the man's head._

_Seeing the man fall, Tala couldn't defy the darkness and weakness anymore. The gun fell from his grasp and, giving an exhausted sigh, he let his eyes slide shut and begun to fall – but instead of hard floor, he landed onto something soft. " Hey, don't pass out on me!" Bryan's voice that sounded jumbled in his ears said. The boy's hands shook him, first gently, then firmly. " Hey, open your eyes! Tala, stay awake!"_

_Even though it took all his strength, Tala inched his heavy eyelids, meeting Bryan's face that seemed alarmingly blurry to him. " Bry…", he managed. " Go…"_

_The boy shook his head vehemently. " I'm not leaving you, not after you just saved my butt." Bryan cursed loudly and colorfully as the piercing, high-pitched alarm-sound seemed to fill the entire building. " Fuck, that idiot managed to call for help…" Determined look in his eyes, Bryan – though he was on the edge of collapsing himself – wrapped his other arm firmly around Tala, helping the boy up. " C'mon, we have to move it – now." _/

* * *

" Tala, talk to me! Are you alright?" the same voice spoke again.

The word, tough it was so simple, required strength Tala barely had. " B – Bryan…?"

He heard steps, and after a small second the boy sat onto the chair beside his bed. " Yeah, it's me." He could feel Bryan's worried gaze studying him. " You alright?"

Had he not lacked the strength, Tala would've laughed. No, he wasn't alright. Actually, he'd never been that un-alright in his entire life. He inched his eyelids, licking his lips that felt as dry as sandpaper. " Hurts…"

Bryan nodded, relaxing just a little. " Yeah, it's only understandable. You were given quite a handling before we got out of there." Looking into his pained eyes, Bryan offered a weak fake-smile. " But everything's alright. We're safe now."

Tala winced in pain as he got up into a sitting position. Suddenly, a whole new rush of memories made his eyes widen and, ignoring the pain, he looked around with panicked eyes. " Kai… Dara… Where are they?" Despite the worry and pain, he was pleased to find that his voice was finally beginning to work properly. " We… we tried to find them…" He looked at Bryan, straight into eyes. " Did we?"

" We tried our hardest, but…" Bryan's gulp made a tight knot squeeze around his chest. " I don't know where they are." It was obvious that the boy wasn't telling the whole truth.

Tala squinted his eyes. " Bryan, what happened to them? Tell me", he demanded with as much firmness as he could muster in his condition.

Bryan looked at him, eyes filled with unshed tears. " Oh God, Tala… I wish I wouldn't have to tell you this…."

After few moments, a feral, almost inhuman cry echoed through the hallways of the hospital.

* * *

Despite the fact that he'd spent for pretty much all his life surrounded by it, Ray had never particularly liked snow. It was cold, unforgiving, reminded him of death in much too many ways to his liking. And at that brake of new day, the city was filled with snow. Streets were covered with thick layers of it, and sky poured it on the city, deciding that there wasn't enough. To Ray, it seemed that mother nature was mocking him.

Giving a deep sigh, Ray ripped his gaze off the weather, shifting it to Kai's blade, squeezed into his hand. The first few days since Kai's disappearance, it had been almost too hot to be touched. Now, it felt almost cold in his hand. No matter how little he liked the idea, Ray couldn't help thinking if the loss of warmth meant that they were losing Kai too.

" Ray?" a tired voice ripped him out of his thoughts. " It's only six in the morning. What are you doing up?" Alissa, who'd became very close to him after Kai's disappearance, walked up to him, wrapping her arms tenderly around his waist.

" Thinking", he replied her question, hid Kai's blade into his pocket and looked out of the window once again, almost hoping that it hadn't been snowing anymore, but the white flakes seemed to fall even harder. His eyes slashed with sadness.

" It's not your fault, Ray", Alissa told him gently, pressing her forehead against his back. " I know how much you blame yourself, and I can't let you do that anymore. The only one who can be blamed here is Voltaire."

Ray let his tired eyes slip shut, allowing the girl's soothing warmth and words calm him. It took for a long time before he spoke. " What if we'll never get him back?"

" We will." Alissa sounded stern and confident, her grip on him tightened. " Don't lose your faith, Ray, not now of all times. We will save him and bring him back. Bring them all back."

Ray felt very guilty all of sudden as he heard the hidden hint of pain in Alissa's voice. In his self-pity he'd completely forgotten that there were other people suffering besides him. Tala was Alissa's brother, Kai Nadja's, and Nadja obviously cared a lot about Tala as well. And the rest of the gang was sick of worry for Kai, hurting just like he was. Damnit! How could he have been so insensitive, he, who was considered as the most empathetic member of the team?

He was just about to tell Alissa he was sorry when a shrill scream of terror cut him short. Whirling around, he met Alissa's eyes and they both sighed, recognizing the voice.

" Nadja", Alissa whispered.

" I'll go", he stated softly, heading towards the room Nadja was sleeping in. After all, he was pretty much the only member of the gang who could approach Nadja after her nightmares without immediate danger of getting seriously injured.

Tyson, Max and Kenny, who'd also been woken up by the scream, poked their head out of their shared room to see what the fuss was about. All three seemed tired, as the gang had (once again) stayed up until almost three the night before, trying to come up with some kind of a plan, find a place they hadn't been looking for the Abbey yet.

" It's the same old one", he told the trio. " Go back to sleep, I'll take care of her."

Not even intending to protest, they did as ordered, and after a soft knock Ray slid the door of Nadja's room open, peaking in. With the heavy curtains pulled to hide the window, it was too dark to see pretty much anything, but his sensitive cat's-eyes noticed the dark, visibly shivering form on the bed. Heart-breaking, muffled sobs reached his ears.

" Nad?" he called gently. " You alright?"

She wouldn't reply, but didn't tell him to go away either, so he carefully stepped in and, closing the door behind him, walked up to the bed, sitting beside her. He never touched her, as she'd made perfectly clear that she hated touching just as much as her brother. They simply sat in silence for a long moment, he giving her silent support and she crying out the pain her nightmare had caused.

" Feeling any better?" he finally asked, just like almost every night since Voltaire had taken Kai.

" Eventually." The reply was the same as always, told him that he'd done all he could. " Thanks."

" No problem." He got up and headed towards the door, knowing that there was nothing more he could do for the girl. " Try to get some more sleep, 'k? It's only six in the morning."

" I will."

They both knew that she wasn't going to close her eyes anymore.

Without another word he left, letting the girl who'd gone through far too much lately try and deal with her anguish.

As he emerged the room and closed the door, he froze when he saw gloomy Mr. Dickinson standing in the lounge-room. The rest of the team (including Alissa) was sitting on the couch, all having fearful looks upon their faces.

He could just barely form words, but spoke anyhow. " What's going on?"

Mr. Dickinson seemed even more sad than before. " Ray, I think you should sit down. I afraid I have some bad news."

His body working mechanically, Ray obeyed and sat on the crowded couch, his thoughts racing much faster than he could process them. What was going on? Had something bad came out? Was Kai…?

" What's going on?" Tyson asked tensely as soon as Ray had taken a seat.

Mr. Dickinson gulped, seeming like he was about to break into tears, which made the mood in the room tense immensely. " This will be on the news and papers, but… I think it's the best if I tell you myself. Something… horrible happened last night." He had to pause to compose himself. " I afraid there is no reason to look for the Abbey any longer." With trembling hands he took out three pictures, representing ruins of a huge, completely burned down building. Some tears escaped the old man's eyes. " I'm so sorry, but… that's all there's left."

* * *

TBC.

* * *

A/N: Oh… shit! (as I fail to find a better word) What's going to happen? Are Kai and Dara still alive?

Don't forget to review. Please? (gives huge puppy-dog eyes)


	11. Scarred souls

A/N: I'm back with chapter eleven! (Geez, is this story really that long already!) Once again I'm starting with enormous thank you's to those who actually bothered to review, thus making my teeny-weenie self-confidence grow. You're amazing, you know that?

I'm not giving much further babbling, for you're probably dying to know if Kai is still alive.

Oh, who am I kidding? I **never** give short a/n:s.

First, this chapter became **really** long – nine pages! So I considered dividing it to two. But you probably want to know what happened to Kai **now**, so I chose to sent this in whole. (Otherwise Kai's fate would've been revealed in the next chapter.)

Secondly, I'm urging you guys to comment, for it's the only way to make a difference. What do you want into this story? More action (bey-battles, fighting…)? Love triangles? Drama? New couples that I haven't written into the story yet? Tears? Pain? Torture? Please, tell me! As I've said before, this'll be a long story, so I think you should get to read what you want to read. (Okay, that sounded weird even to me…)

Thirdly, the bits of song-lyrics are from "Funeral song" by The Rasmus. It probably comes as a surprise to none of you when I say that I have no ownership to it whatsoever. I just thought it fit well into this chapter.

Okay, let's get on with the story before you'll make me shut up… Hope you enjoy.

* * *

CHAPTER 11: Scarred souls**

* * *

**

**_/ I died in my dreams _**

**_What's that supposed to mean? _**

**_Got lost in the fire /_**

* * *

The quite large office was comfortably cool as Max let himself sink deeper into the huge couch, feeling somewhat uncomfortable with the brown-haired woman in her thirties – psychiatrist Reza Carrington – on the opposite chair looking at him with pity in her eyes. " So, Max… How have you been feeling lately?"

Had he not been so damn well-mannered, he would've scolded her with 'how do you think I'm feeling, idiot!', or something as harsh, but managed to control his tongue just before the words slipped out. Instead he lowered his gaze, suddenly seeming deeply interested in his shoes. " Still alive and kicking."

He could've sworn he heard Reza grit her teeth before she spoke slowly, evenly, obviously considering every word carefully. " Max… We've been having these sessions for almost two months, and…" She sighed, and as he reluctantly lifted his gaze he met her almost desperate chocolate-brown eyes. " When Mr. Dickinson called me two days after what happened to the Abbey, he told me that there are six teenagers here who are desperately in a need of my help."  
Max blinked in surprise. " Mr. D called you?"

Reza smiled lightly. " How else would an American psychiatrist just end up to Russia?" She grew solemn again. " Max, I understand that it's painful, and I know how little you feel like talking. But you're the only one of you six who has actually came to me, so I can help you if you open up to me. Besides, if you won't let out everything that's inside of you…" Her eyes turned soft, almost motherly. " You can trust me, you must know that by know."

Once again Max's eyes found his shoes. His hands squirmed in his lap, indicating just how uncomfortable he was feeling. Eventually words begun to drop out, one by one, almost like water-drops through a broken dam. " Life… has been a hell for the past two months." He swallowed as his mouth felt really dry all of a sudden. " There's still no trace of Kai, and… I just don't know what to think anymore." He gave a shuttering, agitated sigh. " I'm still trying to keep my hopes up, but… It's so hard, you know? I mean, there's nothing left to hold on to, no reason to hope and…" His hands squirmed even harder, and three tears rolled over his pale cheeks. A huge lump placed itself into his throat, making it impossible to speak.

Fortunately Reza understood. " And you miss Kai?"

He nodded and swallowed again, feeling the lump shrink just a little. " These have been the longest weeks in my life", he whispered, barely audibly. " And… It seems that everything is falling apart, and…" He sniffed. " I'm just so scared, you know?"

Reza frowned. " What do you mean by everything falling apart?"

" Our team, the Bladebreakers. We… we have barely spoken to each other since…" He sighed, then sobbed again. " Tyson and Nadja have spent all their time volunteering to the group that tries to clear out what little there's left of the Abbey and its inhabitants. I guess they're trying find any kind of a sign of Kai being alive, but…" He shook his head and tried to wipe away his tears, only to notice that they came right back again. " Too much time has passed, and…" He ran his hand through his disheveled hair, noticing that words wouldn't come out anymore. It took for a long time before he could speak again. " Kenny has basically locked himself into our hotel room, for these two months he's only come out for food and bathroom. I think he's chatting online with Emily…"

" Emily?"

" His girlfriend… or something like that. I don't know what she is to him anymore. As I said, we… haven't been talking too much lately." Max shook his head again, trying to clear out his thoughts. " Ray and Alissa are all the time in the hospital, helping out those seven kids that made it out of the Abbey alive. I think it's the only way for Ray to forget his guilt. He hasn't even spoken Kai's name during these months."

There was a long, heavy silence until Reza spoke. " What about you and Tyson?"

Max gave a sigh, tears spilling even harder. " I… I just don't know." He laughed bitterly. " What we have can't exactly be described as relationship when all we do is snap and yell at each other. And… with Kai and… everything… I don't know how much more I can take."

" How about you?"

Tears running harder than ever, he finally lifted his gaze and looked at the woman, lost look of a child in his blue eyes. " For two months I've been trying to keep our team together, but… I just can't take it anymore." He sobbed heartbreakingly, feeling a huge weight pressing his chest, making it hard to breath. " One of my best friends might be…" The word wouldn't come out. " And… and I haven't even had a chance to cry before this when everyone needs me to be so damn strong!" He didn't even notice how close to the state of panic attack he was – his wheezing breathing came out sporadically, and his heart was racing like it was about to burst, tears running completely out of his control. " I've never been this scared in my entire life!" At that moment, the little there was left of his self-control broke and he buried his face into his hands, sobbing hysterically, rocking himself back and forth. The weight in his chest felt so very heavy, too heavy… He couldn't take it anymore.

Max almost jumped of frighten when he felt arm wrap around him. Lifting his slightly startled gaze, he found lightly smiling Reza looking down at him. " It's not your job to carry everything on your shoulders, Max."

Those soft words were all he needed. Still crying like a child, Max buried his face into the woman's shoulder, still feeling like his entire world had been falling apart.

* * *

When Reza emerged the room for about an hour later, she found Mr. Dickinson from her waiting room. The man seemed pale and dead-tired, Reza guessed he hadn't slept more than an hour or two per night since the fire. " How did it go?" he asked, sounding slightly tense.

She sighed, shaking her head. " He's still in there, I didn't dare to let him leave in that condition."

He frowned. " Is something wrong?"

" He had a bit of a breakdown." She, too, frowned while pouring some coffee into a mug she managed to find and handing it to the man, who gave a small, grateful smile. " They're just kids, Stanley, and they might've lost one of their best friends. I don't think it's a good idea to let them stay here in Russia any longer. They should get back to their normal lives, as much as it can be normal anymore: school, training, their homes…"

Mr. D nodded and took a sip of his coffee, sighing. " This is all is too much for them to handle. As you said, they're just kids." He took another sip. " I think I'm taking them back to their homes as soon as it's possible."

Both two jumped when his cell-phone suddenly rang. Shelly watched as the man spoke for a while, saying no more than two or three words, then hang up with a deep, worried frown upon his face. " I have to go", he stated tensely. " Something's been found from the ruins of the Abbey."

* * *

In a Russian hospital Ray's amber eyes watched with sadness and some pain as a small girl, probably at the age of no more than five, drew something onto a paper, so concentrated on her task that she didn't even notice him. She was undeniably beautiful: her honey-coloured hair had grown back during the two months she'd spent in a hospital, and her big eye (the other one was covered with a thick bandage) that held a colour of ocean charmed everyone it met. But there was something that broke the beauty… As she turned her head when taking another colouring-pencil, Ray inwardly flinched when seeing the side of her face that was completely burned.

She was Kira Aitoshi, one of the seven confirmed survivals of the fire that had destroyed the Abbey. According to what Ray knew, she was the least damaged of the punch: three of seven were still in ICU, and the others were so badly burned that Ray hardly bared to look at them.

Hate was a feeling Ray wasn't used to. But when he saw every day what Voltaire and Boris had done to these children, not to mention all those who's lives they'd taken, he could barely keep himself from hurting someone.

Making up his mind, Ray walked up to the girl, bending down to her level. " Hey. What are you drawing?"

Kira didn't respond, which wasn't a surprise. She hadn't spoken a single word since the fire, and no one knew if she could even speak English.

Curiosity taking the best of him, Ray leaned forward to see what Kira had drawn. A gasp of shock and immense pain immediately escaped him as the picture – which represented a huge building in flames, children behind its windows crying and screaming in utter terror – made all the feelings and memories he'd managed to escape for two months come flooding back. His hands started shaking, and his face fell completely pale as a single word slipped through his lips. " Kai…"

Sadness, rage, guilt, frustration, confusion, betrayal… Too many feelings to be handled at once.

" Ray, are you alright?"

Turning his head, still shivering like a leaf, he met Alissa's deeply worried, slightly pale face. He didn't even notice the tears running down his cheeks. " Could you… could you keep an eye on Kira for a while?"

She nodded, confused. " Sure."

Not waiting for further questions, he darted towards the nearest toilet. As soon as he was there, he heaved loudly for several times. When he was finally done with emptying his stomach, he squeezed his eyes tightly shut, tears rolling even harder. Heartbreaking sobs shuttered his body. " I'm so sorry…", he whispered. " I'm so sorry…"

* * *

Two floors up from Ray, prosecutor Shelly Tshadov showed her id-card to the two guards standing outside a huge hospital room, then pushed the door open. Inside, Bryan and Tala were waiting, the former pacing around like a trapped animal, latter sitting on a chair before a window, gazing out with glazed eyes. " It's time to go, boys", she announced. " Private jet will pick us up in half an hour."

Bryan's eyes were flashing as he looked at her. " I don't want to leave, not until I've called to Mr. Dickinson and asked if there's been any signs of Kai."

" This is witness-protection, Bryan", she reminded him, though rather gently. She knew full well how much the boy was blaming himself and would've wanted to find out what had happened to Kai. Unfortunately, that wasn't an option. " I'm sorry, but I can't let you call anyone."

Bryan seemed to be losing his temper. " So you're just expecting us to happily get into that jet of yours and let you take us away without…?"

" Bryan, please, don't." Tala's voice was deep and quiet, much unlike it had been two months earlier. The boy didn't move his gaze from the window. " Just… Don't." This seemed to be a particularly good day for the boy: since the day Bryan had told him what had happened to the Abbey, Tala had hardly spoken a single full sentence per day.

Bryan felt his rage melt. Though the reluctance to leave was still there, he didn't want to make a scene in front of Tala, not now. " Okay."

Taking this as her cue to leave, Shelly begun to approach the door. " I'll be right back."

Tala didn't even notice that Shelly left, or heard the door closing behind her. Once again his thoughts had wandered to Kai, though he did his best to prevent it, and it was suddenly very hard not to cry.

Whether Kai was alive or not, Tala had failed his promise to get the boy out of the Abbey. And he would never forgive himself for that one.

_I'm so sorry, Kai_, he thought, squeezing his eyes tightly shut. _I tried my best, I hope you know that, wherever you are._

He took a shuttering breath, shivering all over. No matter how many times he begged for forgiveness in his thoughts, all he could see at the moment was Kai's accusing face.

* * *

Max had no idea of for how long he'd been walking around the streets of Russia before he reluctantly begun to approach the hotel they were staying in. It wasn't until then he noticed just how cold he was: it was very early spring in Moscow, and he'd been too upset to remember to take his jacket. Thanks to his stupidity, he was shivering and frozen to the bone, and he could almost guess that his lips had a blue tint._Great, so now I'm getting a flue along with all this…_

He was almost at the hotel when he heard animated kids' voices talking in Russian. Turning his head, he saw three kids standing nearby, pointing at him and giving him looks every now and then. He couldn't understand pretty much a word they were saying, but some caught his attention. " Max… The Bladebreakers… Kai…"

He frowned, feeling almost furious. Still, after all the time passed and all the intruding publicity they'd received since the destruction of the Abbey, it was painful to hear people talking about Kai, especially people who had never even met the boy. Couldn't people realize that they were having hard time enough even without everyone sticking their noses into their lives! Besides, Kai had always hated publicity. Why should he be poked up now that…

Unable to finish the thought, Max entered the hotel and rushed over to the elevator as fast as his legs carried him. Push of a button, and he let out a huge, shaky breath of relief as the doors of the elevator slid shut, closing him into safety.

He understood very well why Kenny had chosen to lock himself into their room. Without the therapy-sessions, he wouldn't have left the safe, comfy room either.

Entering the room, he blinked at the sight that greeted him.

Nadja had basically pinned extremely infuriated Tyson to the couch, and seemed to be wrapping some kind of a bandage around the boy's hand. There was blood all over Tyson's clothes. " Sit still!" she growled at the bluenette that struggled with all his might against her hold.

" How am I supposed to! You're hurting me, damnit!" Tyson whined, and yelped when Nadja accidentally squeezed his hand when he moved. " Hey! Watch it!"

" This would hurt much less if you would just stay still for a second!" Nadja bellowed back.

Giving a deep sigh, Max closed the door behind him. Once again he had to be the strong and mature one. " What happened?"

" This idiot cut his hand when searching through the ruins", Nadja informed rather dryly, giving no sympathy to the injured boy. She gave a deep sigh of relief when noticing that she was finally done with wrapping the boy's hand. " See, done? Now please, don't get yourself killed when I let go of you, 'k?"

Tyson snorted. " Ha ha, very funny, Miss. 'Touch-me-and-get-your-hand-bitten-off'"

Nadja's eyes squinted dangerously. " Don't make me hurt you, you know I'm more than capable."

" Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!" The duo seemed startled and shocked as they looked at Max, who was shivering all over, tears rimming in his eyes, hands clenched into balls. " I'm sick and tired of having to rip you two off of each other's throats! You're not enemies, damnit, so leave off!" The blonde was suddenly swaying dangerously. " I'm not your guardian, so don't make me act as one!"

Deeply worried frown came to Tyson's face as he watched his boyfriend become ghostly pale right before his eyes. " Max… Are you…?" But before the question was finished, Max's eyes slid shut and the boy started falling towards the floor. " MAX!"

Darting forward before his brain could even register it, Tyson was there to catch Max. His arms wrapped tightly, protectively, around the boy. Just as the boy's warm – too warm in Tyson's opinion – body fell against his, the blue orbs opened, blinking in confusion.

Giving a sigh of relief, Tyson stroke Max's hair, his heart still racing with panic. Although Max was now awake, he was still worried. " Hey, are you okay? What happened?" he asked softly.

" I… I'm not sure…", Max murmured, still leaning against Tyson, not trusting his own legs to support him. " This has been a rough day, and…"

" Have you eaten anything?" Tyson cut in, and sighed irritably as Max shook his head no. " Turtle, you know you should keep your blood-sugar in check!" (**1**) Max watched with wonder and puzzlement as Tyson turned from immature teenager into caring boyfriend in a matter of seconds. The bluenette shifted his attention the Nadja. " Nad, help Max to the couch, I'm getting him something to eat."

Nodding, Nadja took Tyson's place by Max's side and lead the boy to the couch. She gave him a worried look, for once not even trying to conceal her emotions. " You okay now?"

Max nodded, smiling. " Yeah, just feeling really, really stupid."

There was a sound of door opening, and as they turned their heads they saw Kenny, who seemed confused, if not slightly startled. " What's wrong? I heard yelling…"

Just then Tyson came back with a sandwich and a glass of juice. The boy immediately tried Max's forehead and frowned. " I think you have some fever, I'll…" Before Tyson could finish, there was a knock on the door.

All three became alarmed when seeing very, very serious Mr. Dickinson behind the door. It actually seemed that the man had been crying. " Mr. D?" Tyson asked, voice tight. " Is something wrong?"

" I… I afraid so." Stepping in, the man looked around. " Are Ray and Alissa here? I'd like to tell this to you all at once."

" Right behind you", came Ray's voice as he entered with Alissa, closing the door. " What's wrong?"

Mr. D took a deep sigh, obviously to steel himself. " Something… was found from the ruins of the Abbey. The police wouldn't have wanted to give it to me, but…" The man gave them a small, clear plastic-bag, tears in his eyes. " I'm sorry."

Everyone gasped as they saw the contents of the bag. The object inside was stained by smoke and blood, plus slightly damaged, but recognisable nevertheless. " Kai's wrist band…", Max whispered in a small, shaking voice, eyes widened.

" No!" Tyson's stormy eyes, that held a look of shock, sadness, determination and disbelief all at once, seemed to be flaming as he shook his head furiously, looking at Mr. D. " This does not mean that Kai is…"

" Tyson", Mr. D interrupted, eyes filled with pain and sorrow. " Along with the wrist band, two teeth were found." He swallowed a sob, not wanting to break down in front of the already broken group. " According to dental records, they belong to Kai."

**

* * *

**

**_/ I died in my dreams _**

**_Reaching out for your hand /_**

* * *

**One and half months later.**

Dara felt like a trapped animal as she looked at the small, thickly covered hole that had once been a window, pressing her hand against the cold steel it was hidden with. She didn't know anymore for how long she'd spent in this huge, old mansion, for how many days – months, who knew – she'd been living in darkness. The only thing she knew was that this was the place where Boris had taken her the night he burned down the Abbey.

A tear slid down Dara's cheek and she squeezed her eyes tightly shut in pain. They were all dead, all those she had ever considered friends: Nadja, Tala, Bryan, Spencer, Ian… Everyone. And she didn't know if even Kai had been spared. She only got comfort from the thought that if she was alive, he had to be too. Voltaire would've had her killed if he wouldn't need her for something, and making Kai obey was the only thing she could figure she'd be needed for. Only that thought kept her sane in this hell.

She opened her pained eyes, gazing desperately at the darkness Voltaire and Boris had trapped her into. If only she'd had the strength to fight against those two monsters, if only she had been brave enough…

But she wasn't. No one was. Voltaire and Boris… They were strong, too strong, especially now that she was fighting them alone. And a part of the little strength she still had always drained out as a day of torture, fear and pain after another turned into night.

She jumped slightly as the door of her room – or dungeon, as she knew to call it – suddenly opened, and fear immediately gripped her heart. Was Voltaire back for another round of 'playing' with her? Or was it Boris with games of other kind…

Her eyes were widened as she begun to shiver, too afraid to turn around.

_Oh God, please no…_

" Dara, turn around", a voice she could barely recognise told her as the door closed again.

She turned around slowly, barely daring to hope that it was really the one she thought it would be. Her heart leapt of joy, and it was hard not to show emotions or to run and hug the boy before her, but she knew better than lose control over herself in this place. " Kai."

The boy had changed so much since she'd last seen him, and it wasn't just the shark-fins on his cheeks that were now black. Most of his skin was covered by the tight black fabric of his uniform that had a crimson B on the left side of chest. But his face and bare arms… They were so filled with small and bigger wounds that it hurt her heart. And it seemed like all grace, power and will had been stripped off him. Only one thing told that this boy was really the Kai Hiwatari she had once known: the small, just barely noticeable flame in his eyes told that despite all the torture and losses, the Phoenix wasn't lost.

" Put this on", Kai ordered her, and handed her a same kind of uniform he was wearing. " Voltaire's orders."

She nodded, knowing that there was no point in disobeying, and Kai discreetly turned around as she got changed. Once she was done, they both turned around simultaneously. Their gazes immediately locked, and it was suddenly extremely hard for them to hold themselves back. But there was a small camera placed close to the roof that convinced them otherwise. Tough it didn't transmit voice, the picture it sent was extremely clear, and both knew Voltaire and Boris were watching them at all times. And if Voltaire should ever find out how much they cared about each other…

" What's going on?" she eventually inquired. Despite the joy of meeting him, she was alarmed. Why was she suddenly allowed to see Kai, after all this time?

Pain and worry flashed in Kai's eyes. " Voltaire wants us to battle."

It was hard to keep emotions away from her face. " What!" She gulped. " With what are you blading? You don't have Dranzer."

Seeming grave and filled with disgust, Kai slowly, reluctantly, pulled out the black blade that had became all too familiar to her over years. " Voltaire left me no choice in the matter", he stated, voice filled with hatred. " Either I use Black Dranzer, or he hurts you." Putting the blade away as if it'd burned his fingers, he continued before she had a chance to say a word. " Look, I need you to promise me something. I can't hold BD back for too long, and during that time… I want you to defeat me. I want you to win this battle."

Her eyes widened despite the resistance, as she knew perfectly to price of defeat. " I can't do that to you!" she cried. " I won't!"

" Dara, listen to me." Kai's eyes were burning. " If I would win, you'd receive a punishment you can't imagine even in your worst nightmares, and Voltaire would never stop making me use Black Dranzer again. This is the only way." His eyes softened slightly. " I can take all the punishments Voltaire has in store for me, but I can't stand the idea of you having to go through the same. So please. I will lose, one way or another, with or without your help."

Dara blinked furiously to keep her tears from coming, and it took for a long time before she could make a small, barely noticeable nod. " Okay."

* * *

About five minutes later Kai and Dara were stood face to face on the opposite sides of a huge bey-dish. Both Voltaire and Boris were watching them expectantly. " Alright, kids. You know how these matches go, and you know the rules: there are no rules." Boris raised his hand and lifted three fingers which went down one by one as he did the counting. " 3… 2… 1… GO!"

Exchanging meaningful looks, Kai and Dara simultaneously launched their blades. They crushed together, causing a horrifying crash and a shower of sparks. Voltaire and Boris seemed pleased.

" ZEBA!" Dara summoned her beast, clenching her hands into tight fists as the amazing black panther emerged. She hated herself more than ever before as the thought of what she'd have to do crossed her mind.

Displeased looks could be read on the two men's face as they both noticed how hard Kai was trying to struggle to keep his destructive, dangerous bit-beast inside his already glowing blade. But the struggle was pointless, for only few moments later the dark beast emerged with a deafening cry, spearing it's wings in all their chilling glory.

As the blades and beasts collided again, even more powerfully than last time, Dara let out a quiet groan as excruciating pain shot through her entire being. Although Kai used all his strength and willpower to hold Black Dranzer back, the attacks it made were still crushing to even the strongest ones of bladers. After all, the beast had been planned to be perfect. Dara wouldn't be able to stand her ground against it much longer, and neither would Zeba. Everyone in the room knew that.

Kai's eyes were filled with pain and exhaustion as they met Dara's. She immediately knew what he was asking her to do.

_Do it, NOW!_

Tears almost welled into Dara's eyes, which the two men luckily didn't see.

_Oh Kai, I'm so sorry…_

" Zeba, HALO INFERNO!" she cried and fought valiantly not to close her eyes as Zeba obeyed her master.

Zeba's roar seemed to make the entire room shutter as the panther attacked the phoenix. Soon enough the battle was over, and Kai's black blade was thrown onto the ground, where it laid still. Dara, on the other hand, caught her own blade as it flew back to her.

For a long time not a word was said as Kai stood tall despite his loss, Dara stared at the bey-dish, refusing to meet his eyes, and both Voltaire and Boris tried to decide what to do. " You lost, grandson", Voltaire finally stated.

No emotions crossed Kai's face as he nodded. " Yes, I did."

Unhurriedly, Voltaire stood up from his seat, slowly approaching the door. " You surely know the punishment that follows loss. Come with me."

Nodding again, Kai silently stepped out of the room before his grandfather. Just before he was out of the door, Voltaire turned around and looked at Boris. " Oh, and there'll be another match – between you and the girl."

Kai's eyes widened with shock as he spun around, glaring at Voltaire in disbelief. " What!"

Voltaire looked at him with a cruel smile. " You surely didn't expect me to be stupid enough to think that you fought with all you've got?" Voltaire's eyes flashed. " Now, she pays the price."

" NO!" Kai tried to run towards the door, but Voltaire's irony hold prevented him. Dara looked back at him with fear-filled eyes. " Dara, no! Boris, please, don't do it! NO! DARA!" The scream was left echoing in the walls as the door was closed between the two teenagers.

* * *

Had he had any strength left in his body at all, Kai would've pulled himself up off the floor that was covered by splatters of his own blood. But every single part of his broken body was throbbing – including his heart, but not for Voltaire's beating – and it seemed that he would never be able to get back up again, as even staying in all-fours was almost unbearable. His back, sides and stomach were hurting beyond human understanding from all the kicks and punches they'd received, and breathing was so hard and painful that Kai knew from wide experience that some of his ribs were crushed. He was only grateful that as his head was bowed, his bangs fell to cover his pained, blood-caked face from Voltaire, who was only pleased to witness his suffering.

But unfortunately, the thrill wasn't over yet.

" Open your uniform, and expose your back", Voltaire ordered him. " And don't even think about disobeying."

_Now this is something new_, he thought as he slowly opened the zipper of his garment and obeyed, not daring to even guess what was to come.

He waited for several moments, expecting approaching steps, but as they didn't come he lifted his head a little to see what was going on. Voltaire was looking at him with stone-hard eyes he'd never seen before, holding something in his hand he couldn't see. " I've told you more than once not to touch what belongs to me."

Kai was unable to disguise his shock. Did Voltaire know about him and Dara? " What?"

* * *

As Dara bravely fought against the crushing force of Boris' horrifying, lion-like bit-beast, she didn't dare to even guess what Kai was going through at the same moment. She had seen the state Kai had been in after Voltaire's handling far too many times before, and she guessed that it would be ten times as bad this time. She could only hope that Kai would be strong enough to handle it.

Suddenly she felt fear unlike anything she'd ever felt before shoot through her as Boris' brown blade pushed hers off the dish, and the purple blade flew at her feet, just and just missing harming her.

She had lost.

_Oh shit…_

" It seems that you are having problems with your concentration", Boris stated, taking steps towards her. " Is it because of Kai?"

There was no point in lying, as Boris would see the truth anyway. She nodded. " Yes."

It was hard not to let out a scream when Boris punched her into face with all his strength (which was a lot). " How can you be that stupid, Dara! How many times do you have to be told to stay away from Kai? He's off limits! You belong to Voltaire!"

Her eyes were burning as she looked at the man she had in past called uncle. " _Nobody_ owns me, Boris."

The remark was proved to be a big mistake, as another punch – even harder than the last one – hurled her onto the hard floor. She hissed quietly in pain as her head cruelly connected with wall on the way. " We all have our destinies, niece. We all have our own places in this world. This is your place." Boris kneeled down before her, looking at her more sternly than ever before. " Your destiny is to be Voltaire's soldier, and nothing else. You must remember that."

Her eyes squinted. " Mother always taught me to build my own destiny."

No emotions could be seen upon Boris' face as the man slowly got up, then aimed a painful kick at her stomach. She couldn't suppress a scream of pain. " Only a fool believes in such stupid lies as that one", he told her. There was a silence as Boris watched her, and she desperately tried to regain her breath as the pain in her stomach begun to ease. " It seems that there's only one way to make you obey."

She frowned. " What…?" Her eyes widened as she saw two men drag a small, burgundy-hared boy at the age of barely three into the room, and realization hit her. " Oh no…"

The men moved away slightly as Boris stepped up to behind the deeply frightened boy, placing a knife onto the child's throat. " It is time to choose, Dara. Do you wish to… build your own destiny, as you put it, or will you let Dimitrei live another day?" Boris' eyes were cold and emotionless as they locked into hers. " The choice is yours." She could see that the knife was pressed even closer to terrified Dimitrei's throat. " Which one is more precious to you – your freedom or his life? I suggest you to think carefully."

Dimitrei's huge, brown eyes were filled with desperate pleading as the child looked at her, visibly shivering. " Dara… Please…."

Dara's almost teary eyes were filled with hatred as they bored at Boris. " Why the hell are you doing this!" she roared.

Boris gave a cold smirk. " Because I can." The smirk faded. " You have three seconds to make your decision."

As she looked into Dimitrei's eyes, she knew that there was no choice. " Let him go."

Nodding, Boris removed the knife from Dimitrei's throat and thrust the child away, into the arms of the two men who had brought him in. Dimitrei was taken away. " You made a wise decision, niece", Boris told her, then begun to leave. " I'll tell Voltaire to come here."

* * *

Voltaire walked up to Kai, revealing the weapon he'd chosen. Kai's eyes widened slightly as he saw a long dagger. " You have disappointed me, grandson." Voltaire slashed Kai's back, and the boy could barely suppress a scream by gritting his teeth. " Do you have any idea of how much trouble I've seen for you, do you?" Another slash, even deeper this time. A tear of pain escaped Kai's eye, falling to the dusty, bloody floor. " I trained you to be a soldier, to be perfect. I trained you to follow my legacy!" Third slash, so deep and painful that Kai groaned quietly, barely remaining conscious. " But you are nothing but a disgraceful rebel. A filthy traitor that rose up against those who have taken care of you, those who have made you!"

" You, made me?" Kai hissed, voice filled with hatred, and glared at his grandfather into eyes. " All I have ever got from you is hate."

A kick that sent Kai onto the floor was aimed directly at his face, and he could feel the sickening, irony taste of blood in his mouth. Something wet and sticky covered his face. " _Power_ is what I have given you, grandson. Power beyond your wildest imaginations." Another kick, this time aimed at his hand, and he couldn't help but scream as he heard a horrifying snap and felt the unbelievable pain that followed it. As he struggled to remain conscious, Voltaire kneeled down before him, looking at him directly into eyes. " Never forget how much you owe me, you ungrateful piece of filth." Voltaire reached out his hand and brushed the black shark-fins tattooed onto Kai's cheeks. The boy shuttered from pain the touch caused, and Voltaire wrinkled his nose in disgust as he saw the blood on his fingers. " And never forget that you belong to me, Kai. You are a Hiwatari. You will always be my possession."

Kai spat blood at Voltaire's face. " I will never be anybody's possession, least of all yours", he snarled, although speaking hurt like hell.

Voltaire replied by giving his head a punch that made darkness slowly engulf him. As Voltaire watched his pain and struggle with amusement, he valiantly tried to fight to stay awake. But eventually his eyes slipped shut, and his broken, throbbing body fell limp. The last thing he felt was Voltaire's painful touch as he slipped into blissful unconsciousness.

After touching Kai, Voltaire made an irritated sound when seeing the boy's blood that tainted his hands and clothes. " Get the medics", he ordered the man standing behind him, wiping the blood from his fingers to Kai's uniform. He felt a strangest sensation of pleasure when seeing the pain upon the unconscious boy's face. " But don't hurry."

_Let this be a valuable lesson, grandson_, he thought, looking at the boy. _Next time you try to steal what's mine, the punishment will be much more severe._

Without another look towards Kai he walked out, leaving the badly bleeding boy laying to the floor.

**_

* * *

_**

_**/ My fatal desire /**_

* * *

TBC.

* * *

**1) **In my version, Max is diabetic.

A/N: Oh man, Kai and Dara really have it rough! Will the others find out that they're alive and come to save them?

'Till next time, everyone! Please, review and comment!


	12. Shadows calling

A/N: Hi again! Time for another chapter.

Once again, I want to thank you guys for your amazing reviews. I'm living a most stressful time in my entire life right now, and pretty much everything in my life is changing, so it means a world to me to have you guys to boost up my confidence.

Oh, you despise Voltaire and want that freak dead? Gods, I've made that creep so horrible that I actually feel sick when writing about him! But hey, if you hate him now, wait until I'm through. You'll be wishing that old scumbag was a real person just to get to kick his ass.

Oh, and please, tell me what you want to read! Because I really do want to write stuff you want to read. Love-triangles, family-secrets, drama, action, torture… Whatever it is, you can ask for it. (As long as it's not _too_ freakish… Such as KaiXNadja affair…) (grins)

Okay, okay, let's get on with this stuff, shall we? This chapter begins some hours from where the last one ended.

* * *

CHAPTER 12: Shadows calling

Tyson had never felt as nervous as he did when approaching the familiar door of Max's home. The nervousness didn't ease at all when he recalled everything that had happened between them after Kai's… abduction. (Tyson still refused to talk about death.)

For the first two months they'd been fighting and yelling like a cat and dog. Then – after Mr. D had showed up with Kai's wristband – the rest of the gang had gone to Japan to deal with everything, but Tyson had refused to leave Russia, with steely determination deciding to prove everyone that Kai was still alive. After that, he and Max hadn't spoken a word to each other for two weeks. Ray had one day called Tyson and told that the 'small flue' Max had been having turned out to be a serious case of pneumonia, and the boy had been hospitalized. As much as he would've wanted to be there for his boyfriend, Tyson had been simply too ashamed – and too wrapped up into his 'investigations' – to go and visit Max, even though it hurt almost more than he could bear to know that the boy was there in Japan, fighting for his life. And – as expected – that had lead into many, many heated phone-conversations as soon as Max had been discharged. That was until the last phone-call that took place three weeks earlier and changed everything between them…

* * *

/ _" Tyson, it's been for almost three months!" Max exclaimed, sounding teary and almost desperate. " Don't you realize what this obsession of yours is doing to the rest of us! Kai is…" The next word disappeared to a sob. " … and it's hard enough for us to cope with it even without you obsessing about him being still alive!" Another sob was heard. " Why don't you just leave Russia and come home? We need you here, Tyson!"_

_" Because unlike you, I'm not the type that abandons a friend, Tate!" Tyson had never called Max by his last name before, which only indicated just how angry and frustrated he was. " Right now Russia is where I need to be, whether you like it or not." He sighed irritably. " I don't understand why I even called you."_

_" Neither do I", Max confessed sadly. " Every time you call, it ends to a huge fight. And…I think we should do something about it."_

_Tyson blinked, surprised. " What are you suggesting?"_

_" Don't call me anymore." Max sighed exhaustedly. " I think it's time for us to have a break."_

_Tyson's eyes flashed. " I couldn't agree more." So saying he hung up._ /

* * *

Ever since he had hung up, Tyson had regretted his words. He definitely didn't want him and Max to have a break – after all, notwithstanding all the fighting and screaming, ever since the destruction of the Abbey, Max had been pretty much only good thing in his life, his lifeline, link to sanity. But despite all that, he'd never had to courage to tell Max he was sorry – not until now.

Max's father seemed surprised as he opened the door and found Tyson behind it. " Hi, Mr. Tate", Tyson greeted the man, oblivious to the elder's bewilderment. " Is Max home?"

" Um… Yes, he's in his room. But…"

Never been blessed with enough patience to listen what people had to say, Tyson stepped into the house and headed towards Max's room. " Thanks."

Knocking before entering never crossed his mind when he pushed the door of Max's room open – and froze in utter shock.

On his bed sat Max, but the blonde wasn't alone. Also on the bed – with his arms wrapped tightly around the blonde and whispering into his ear, actually – sat another boy who's looks made Tyson mentally growl with jealousy. This kid – who was probably a couple of years older than Max – had long, almost black hair that fell a long way down his back on a loose plait, and a pair of greenest eyes Tyson had ever seen. On him he had a tight black tank-top and a pair of black pants, plus some kind of a metallic chain wrapped around his neck.

The couple didn't even notice Tyson until he loudly cleared his throat. The two quickly broke their embrace. " Tyson?" Max asked, seeming something between angry, embarrassed and confused. " What are you doing here?"

" I think I should go", the stranger announced. Tyson couldn't help noticing that the boy's voice was much deeper (and sexier) than his.

" Jax, no, there's no need…", Max tried to protest, but the boy interrupted him with a shake of head.

" I'll call you later", the boy stated with a smile, almost out. " Bye."

With that Tyson and Max were alone. For a long time uncomfortable silence lingered over them, until Tyson chose to break it. " So… Three weeks of break, and you already have a new one on check? Wow. You really do work fast."

" Tyson, don't be an idiot", Max almost hissed. " That was Jax, my friend. I met him in a therapy. He's been a great supporter – unlike you."

Tyson blinked in surprise. " Therapy?"

Max sighed irritably. " Yes, therapy. I've been having therapy-sessions ever since what happened to the Abbey, in Russia and here in Japan." The boy gave him a cold look. " You would've known if you hadn't been so wrapped up into yourself."

Tyson felt a sharp slash of guilt, but it quickly transformed into anger. " I came here all the way from Russia to apologize and make everything up to you, and what do I find? You in some… creep's arms!"

" Well I haven't even seen you for weeks! Besides, as I already told you, Jax is a friend! His boyfriend died in a shootout four months ago, so he's been a great help in dealing with Kai's…" Max's blue eyes flashed dangerously. " You know what? I don't know why I'm explaining myself to you, because I don't have to! You're not my boyfriend anymore, so my friends – or the people I choose to date – are none of your business!"

Tyson snorted, infuriated by the thought of Max dating someone else. " You don't even know what friendships are all about! Look how you just turned your back on Kai!"

Max, who was obviously hurt by the words, audibly growled, his eyes more furious than Tyson had ever seen them. The boy was visibly ready to punch him. " How dare you say that after never even bothering to visit me in a hospital?"

" Alright, I think that's enough", the firm voice of Max's father announced somewhere behind Tyson. " Tyson, I think it's the best if you leave now."

Tyson nodded, eyes flaming. " Yeah, I think so too." With that he stormed out.

As soon as the outdoor was slammed shut behind Tyson, he broke into tears and, leaning against the door, slid down as his legs wouldn't carry his weight anymore, burying his face into his hands.

* * *

There was a chilling, almost eerie breath lingering in the air as Ray slowly stepped into the mansion Kai had some months earlier called home. Inside it seemed like time had stopped working; layers of dust laid completely still, no sounds came to his ears, and even the huge, definitely antique clock placed against nearby wall had stopped.

Suddenly, Ray almost wished he hadn't asked Mr. Dickinson to give him the key into the mansion he'd always considered creepy.

" Wow…", Alissa, whom he'd asked to come along as mental support, gasped, looking around. " This is definitely… different."

Small nod was the only reply Ray managed to give.

For a long moment they walked along in silence, Ray fighting against desires to cry and run away, Alissa looking around with occasional astonished gasps.

Eventually, as they were climbing up the stairs to second floor, Alissa spoke. " Ray… If you would rather do this alone, I understand. I mean…"

Ray's shake of head interrupted her. " No", he whispered, blinking furiously. " I… I don't think I could do this on my own."

Once they were upstairs, Ray suddenly felt something he hadn't felt for a long time. There was a warmth that could almost be considered hot in his pocket, and as he looked down in surprise he noticed that Kai's blade – which had been stone-cold for the past months – was now glowing almost angrily. " Dranzer?"

And then, it felt like something – Dranzer perhaps, he couldn't tell – begun to lead him forward. In some sort of a daze he entered a huge room, that was almost dark with curtains pulled up to cover its three windows. He tried to switch on the lights, but groaned when noticing that electricity didn't work. " Nice…", he muttered sarcastically. " Like this wouldn't be creepy enough…"

At first, Ray saw nothing out of ordinary, just absently noticed that Kai's blade had once again stopped glowing. But then he noticed something – a huge cardboard-box – under a bed that was placed into the far corner of the room. Frowning, he begun to approach the bed, just as Alissa entered the room. " Ray, what are you doing?" she asked, obviously just as confused as he was.

He gave a small, nervous laughter. " Honestly, I have no idea."

As he pulled the box to be seen, he noticed that it was filled with photographs, videotapes and letters. On top of everything was a short, simple note, written in Kai's familiar, neat handwriting. He could just barely make out the text in the dim lightning.

To the Bladebreakers, just in case.

Once again, Ray noticed that it was very hard not to cry. He had to steel himself for a long moment before his voice was steady enough to work. " I think we should find a place with more light and take a look at this."

About ten minutes later they'd found one room from the house that had enough of light to allow them to see something. Ray didn't even notice the tears that escaped his golden eyes as he went through the photographs. Some of them were rather old, and represented Kai's family in whole – his parents, he and Nadja – in different locations: China, France, Spain, Italy, Russia… But then there were those that made Ray's tears break loose: pictures of the Bladebreakers, some of which Ray hadn't even known had been taken.

Pictures of Ray, Max and Tyson battling and practicing.

Tyson stuffing more food into his mouth than he could chew.

Infuriated Tyson – with green-dyed hair – chasing down hysterically laughing Max.

Kenny before his laptop.

Ray meditating.

Realization hit Ray, and he gave a small sob as he understood what Kai had wanted to tell by leaving that box for them, what he wanted them to know now that he was gone. They'd thought Kai was cold, that he didn't care about them. When in reality… they'd been as precious to the Russian as his family. Actually, ever since he'd met them, they'd been Kai's only family. " Oh Kai… I never knew …", he whispered, more to himself than Alissa.

The pictures showed him a completely different Kai than the one he'd known. They showed a boy in his parents' loving embrace, goofing with his sister, a boy that wasn't afraid of showing his emotions.

Ray realized that he'd met this Kai – the real Kai – only twice before. Once on the thin ice of lake Baikal, and second time – couple of days later – when no one else but he was witnessing.

* * *

/ _Ray had a worried frown upon his face as he climbed up the stairs of the hotel their team was currently staying in._

_When he'd woken up some minutes earlier, he hadn't at first known what the sense of something being wrong was all about. But as he'd looked around, he'd noticed that the place in bed Kai had previously been occupying was empty. Normally, it wouldn't have alarmed him – after all, Kai was the type that tended to disappear ever so often – but it was three in the morning, and according to his observations, Kai hadn't been exactly himself since what had happened on the lake._

_He didn't know what was leading him towards the roof of the hotel (because that was where he was headed) – perhaps it was something as simple as friendship. And frankly, as he pushed the small door to the roof open, it didn't even matter._

_At first his brain refused to understand what he was seeing. Sure enough, Kai was sitting there on the edge of the roof, other leg brought against chest, other hanging carelessly. The first thing that surprised Ray was the look on Kai's face he'd never seen upon them before. Sadness, confusion, pain, betrayal… He'd seen all those emotions before, but never all at once. And the second thing surprised him even further than the first one: Kai was singing. The words were in Russian, so he couldn't understand them, but Kai's soft, pained tone told exactly what he was feeling._

_For a while Ray thought he should just turn around and leave Kai alone, but he quickly changed his mind. Even though he was a neko-jin, it still seemed that Kai's hearing was even better than his. No matter how deep in thought Kai was, the boy had definitely noticed him. And, for once, it actually seemed that the Russian didn't mind his presence._

_Carefully, not wanting to disturb Kai any more than he already had, Ray walked up to roof's edge and sat down, right next to Kai. Sinking into his own thoughts, he lifted his gaze towards stars, not even noticing that Kai had long since stopped singing and was now looking at the stars as well, thoughtful look upon his face._

_For a long time Ray listened to Kai's beautiful song that still seemed to linger in the air, until he finally noticed that it was actually quiet. Some moments silence occupied them, until he finally voiced the question burning his mind. " Where have you learned that song?"_

_Kai frowned, and for a while Ray thought the boy was pissed off at him. But it appeared that the Russian was just thinking, or trying to remember. " I… don't think I remember", came a rather uncertain reply after a long silence._

_Ray nodded, somewhat puzzled by the answer, and once again silence fell over them as they kept looking at the stars that would soon give room for a break of new day. In the end, it was again Ray who broke their silence. " Look… If you want to be alone…"_

_" No", Kai interrupted. Ray was surprised by his friend's atypically soft, almost urgent tone. The Russian shook his head slowly, eyes still on the stars. " It's… not always good to be alone."_

_Ray nodded and – respecting the other's wish – sat still as companionable silence enclosed them._ /

* * *

His tears finally stopped falling when he found a picture that was the oldest of all, and a deep frown came to his features. " What the heck…?"

In the picture was no more than twenty-five years old Voltaire Hiwatari, stood in front of the just build Biovolt-building, but the man – or rather monster – wasn't alone. On his right side was stood a beautiful woman, not older than Voltaire, with long black hair that were on a neat ponytail, and a pair of undeniably captivating, strangely familiar brown eyes that held a slight tint of red. She was wearing a long scientist's coat, and had a soft smile upon her lips. But what had shocked Ray was on the other side of the woman. It was no one other than Stanley Dickinson, also smiling.

" What the hell did Mr. D have to do with Biovolt?" Ray muttered, unable to understand.

" Perhaps I should do some explaining", came a familiar voice. Turning their heads, the two saw Mr. Dickinson standing behind them.

Ray's eyes immediately squinted, and he bounced into a standing position, showing Mr. D the picture. " What the heck does this mean?"

Sighing, Mr. Dickinson took the picture and looked at it with sad eyes. " Oh, it's been for so long…" It took for a while before he woke up from his memories and started explaining. " This woman is Ida Leontjev, Kai and Nadja's grandmother. We – me, Voltaire and Ida – were good friends, and the founders of Biovolt."

" What!" both Ray and Alissa gasped in disbelief.

" In its early days, Biolvolt wasn't what it is today. And neither was Voltaire – at first, he had very good intentions. Back in those days, he was my best friend." Mr. D sighed again, sad look in his eyes. " But then… everything changed. Feelings came to picture."

" What happened?" Alissa asked, curios to know more.

Mr. D's eyes were almost teary as he looked at the picture. " You see… Both I and Voltaire started to develop feelings towards Ida. Unfortunately for me, Voltaire was faster, and Ida became a Hiwatari. But…" He trailed off, seeming embarrassed.

" Did you and she ever…?" Ray asked, blushing.

Mr. D nodded, eyes on the picture. " Yes, we did. And Voltaire found out." Once again he let out a sigh. " And that is when everything changed…"

* * *

/ _Snow was falling over darkened Russia as two figures met on a bridge, almost outside town. " This has to come to an end", the woman whispered in a teary voice. " I… I do… care about you, but…"_

_" … we can't do this to Voltaire", the man filled in, bravely trying to smile despite the immense pain in his heart. " Ida, I understand. You're his wife now, and I'm his best friend. This… this isn't possible anymore. This isn't right."_

_Ida nodded, tears in her eyes, and as the man – Stanley – looked on, she took off her beautiful, silvery bracelet that had a small heart decorating it, and handed it to him, tears by then falling. " Perhaps in some other time, in some other world…"_

_Stanley nodded, blinking his eyes that were suspiciously moist. " Yeah…" He looked into Ida's eyes, knowing that this would be the last time he'd ever see her. The next day, he'd take a flight to Japan, far away from her and all the pain. " Just… Be happy, okay? Because… You deserve nothing less."_

_She, too, nodded, still crying. He had already spun around, ready to walk away, when her voice made him turn around once more. " Stan, wait… There's something I need to tell you."_

_But she never got the chance to break the news, for just then Voltaire appeared. Seeing the two of them in tears, the man immediately understood. His eyes, that turned just as cold as Russian winter that night, widened. " Oh shit… No…"_

_" Voltaire, this isn't…", Ida tried, but the furious shake of head by Voltaire made her trail off._

_" Don't lie to me, Ida", the man snarled, then stormed towards Stanley. " How could you! You were supposed to be my friend, damnit!"_

_" I… I'm sorry…", Stanley whispered, not knowing what else to say. He let out a gasp when Voltaire graphed him by the collars, growling._

_" Voltaire, calm down!" Ida screamed._

_" Stay out of this!" Voltaire roared, throwing his hand backwards aimlessly._

_Unfortunately, the consequences of that simple actions turned out to be irreversible. Off balance because she'd been running towards the two men, Ida lost the last of her balance and fell backwards, towards the low railing of the bridge. And before the men could even move she fell with a terrified scream, landing into the icy depths of the river below._ /

* * *

Tears were rolling down Mr. D's cheeks as he finished the story. " I never met Ida since, and neither did Voltaire, who became what he is today after… those events. We both thought she died – until one day almost eight years ago when I got this." He hesitantly pulled out a letter and gave it to them. " That's when I found out what Ida was going to tell me that day."

Frowning, Ray opened the letter. It was written in a handwriting much like Kai's.

_Dear Stanley Dickinson,_

_I'm sure you don't know me, for I wouldn't know you either if it wasn't for my mother, Ida Leontjev. Apparently, she was once a good friend of yours. I am sorry to tell you that she was killed two weeks ago. But before her death, she told me your name and gave me your address, saying that if anyone can help my family, it's you. I can only pray she was right._

_You see, my father, Voltaire Hiwatari, wants to take my son Kai and use him to his own, twisted purposes. I and my wife Miyami are not going to let that happen, and that's why Voltaire is after our lives._

_All my hope lies on you now. I hate to ask help from strangers, but that's what I'm ready to do for my children – I will not let Kai and Nadja suffer like I have. We're hiding right now, but it's only a matter of time before Voltaire finds us, just like he found my mother._

_Please, help us, for the sake of two innocent children. If for no other reason, then for the sake of my mother's memory._

_Aleksei Hiwatari_

It was silent for a long time after Ray handed the letter back to Mr. D, head spinning. He blinked, desperately trying to collect his thoughts.

" I tried to help Aleksei and his wife, but I was too late", Mr. D finished the sad story. " By the time I got to their house, Voltaire had already murdered them and taken Kai and Nadja."

" But… Why did you try so desperately to help him?" Alissa asked. " For Ida?"

" No", Ray whispered, pieces beginning to click in his head. " Not for Ida."

Mr. D nodded solemnly, confirming Ray's assumption. " I did it, because… Voltaire wasn't Aleksei's only possible father." The old man gulped. " Kai and Nadja might be my grandchildren."

* * *

Tala didn't know for how long he'd spent in the small, almost collapsed cottage that prosecutor Tshadov had placed him and Bryan into during witness-protection. But what he knew for sure was that he hadn't slept a single night during that time, because whenever he fell asleep, he saw Kai's face, heard the boy's screams of pain, terror and betrayal, and those screams were left haunting him for a long time when he woke up. So he had decided not to sleep at all, because even though he could live with his guilt, he couldn't stand those screams. He couldn't hear Kai screaming out his name.

He jumped slightly in frighten when the door of the cottage suddenly opened and Bryan stormed in, obviously anxious. " I knew Tshadov has been hiding something from us. Now I finally know what."

Blinking his eyes in surprise, Tala looked at Bryan as the boy took out a videotape. " Hmm?" For some reason, no proper words wanted to come out of his mouth.

" This is from a surveillance-camera nearby the Abbey", Bryan explained while putting the tape into a VCR. " I got this from Tshadov's office – just don't ask me how I got there." Bryan sat down as the tape started rolling. " This is from the night when Voltaire burned down the Abbey."

At first, all they saw was a dark, definitely uninviting alley. But then… Both frowned as they saw a limousine pull up and park close to a door they hadn't even seen at first. Few moments later Boris came through the door, holding tightly on to furiously fighting, blindfolded Dara. Despite her resistance, however, Boris got her into the car and it disappeared. Five minutes passed, and as another limousine came Voltaire emerged the huge building, but not alone: he had a blindfolded small child – a boy at the age of no more than three – in his arms, and behind him two guards 'escorted' also blindfolded Kai, who had some blood on his chin and cheeks. The boy walked along obediently, almost like a zombie – it was obvious that Voltaire had drugged him.

" What the heck…?" Bryan muttered with a deep frown.

And as they watched, all five sat into the limousine and the car disappeared from sight. About five minutes later, flames started to take over the building.

For a long moment, both boys sat paralyzed and stared at the screen with widened eyes, unable to believe what they'd just seen. " Kai and Dara… are alive?" Tala finally whispered.

" Witness-protection my ass, we've gotta call Mr. Dickinson", Bryan announced, eyes filled with determination. " We have to save them from Voltaire and Boris."

* * *

Pain – both mental and physical – was something Kai had grown used to during his short life. Ever since he'd first been dragged into the Abbey, he'd been taught that the more pain he could endure, the more valuable he was – and the longer he'd get to live.

But as Kai laid on the cold floor of his newest cell, with every single part of his body hurting, he wished from the bottom of his heart that he'd been dead, because it seemed that death was the only way out of this hell.

He bravely tried to open his sore eyes, but the eyelids were much too heavy. He didn't have the strength. Actually, he wasn't sure if he even wanted to open his eyes to this world again.

The loud scream that came to his ears from distance made a crystal tear slide down his face, making him grimace as it aggravated the various wounds on his face. " Dara…", he rasped, not even realizing that the word was coming from him.

He'd failed, failed in so many ways.

He inhaled a deep, ragged breath, painful due to the broken ribs, and groaned as it hurt almost more than he could bear. Gosh, he was so broken, shattered. How could he be still alive?

" Dranz…", he called in a feeble, desperate voice, more painful tears escaping. " Help me…" One more tear escaped as he realized that Dranzer could no longer help him – ever.

With that thought, comforting darkness once again took him under its gentle wing, momentarily washing away all his pain and guilt.

* * *

As the darkness finally released him, he heard the door of the room open and close quietly, and, still refusing to open up his eyes, he listened to the approaching steps. Someone kneeled down and brushed his face gently. " Kai?"

The familiar voice made him fight his eye open. He felt something close to panic when the other wouldn't open, and noticed that the vision of his co-operating eye was much blurrier than it should've been. But he still recognized the worried face hovering above him. " Dara?" he whispered, voice so weak that she probably didn't even hear it.

It was very hard for Dara not to cry as she looked at Kai – or rather, the battered crust of a human that had once been Kai. " Oh God… What did that bastard do to you?"

His face seemed almost totally smashed, even thought the so called 'doctors' of Voltaire's had washed them, and his right eye was covered by a filthy bandage that would undoubtedly cause an infection. His other arm – which was obviously badly broken – was treated with nothing more than a lousy, thin bandage. She didn't even dare to think of all the injuries she couldn't see.

" You… shouldn't be… here…", Kai's slightly slurred whisper ripped her back from her thoughts. There was a great amount of worry in his blurry eye. " Voltaire… will punish… you…"

She shook her head and bravely fought against tears. " Don't worry about that now", she whispered back. " I need to take care of you." She hoped that Kai wouldn't see the fresh blood that stained her uniform from between legs, damage caused by Voltaire's last… handling that had ended just short fifteen minutes earlier. " I need to pick you up, okay?"

Kai gave a small nod, and – handling him as carefully as the most fragile glass – she wrapped her arms around him and helped him up, letting his battered body land against hers. She had to squeeze her eyes shut to keep tears from coming when she heard Kai hiss quietly in pain. Not knowing what else to do to make him feel better, she wrapped her arms gently around him, hoping that she wasn't causing even more pain. While holding him she started to sing softly in Russian.

Back when they'd been just kids, she'd always sang Kai that old Russian lullaby when the boy had been beaten up or had a particularly rough day.

She would've wanted to set him free from Voltaire and Boris, to take away all his pain, but at the moment, that song and embrace were all she could offer him.

While letting Dara hold him against her and listening to her soothing voice, Kai felt pain flooding over his body over and over again, and couldn't help wondering how much more they'd have to endure. If he'd counted correctly, which he greatly doubted, they'd spent almost four months under Voltaire's hand, every single day facing more and more pain. At first he'd managed to keep his dream of getting out alive, but as day after pain-filled day turned into night he begun to lose his faith. There was nothing more than darkness in store for him, for them both. All their friends were dead, and everyone there was left probably thought them dead. No one would come to save them, not anymore. And Voltaire had made it perfectly clear that there was only one way to make the beating and pain stop…

He'd have to use Black Dranzer against other bladers, blade for Voltaire. If he wanted to stop Voltaire and Boris from hurting him and Dara, the only way was to use the dark bit-beast for evil purposes.

And Kai had no idea of for how long he'd be able to refuse.

He squeezed his eye tightly shut, almost falling into darkness by the cruel jolt of pain that came from his broken arm, but was this time strong enough to fight back. He couldn't be weak, not now that he had two people to take care of aside himself. For them he'd keep on fighting as long as there was even a slightest ounce of life in him.

Pushing all his little strength to its limit, he lifted his head to meet Dara's eyes. " Where's Dimitrei?" he whispered, trying to get something else to think about than the pain.

" Safe, but only for now", Dara replied, barely audibly. " Boris… used him to persuade me."

Both jumped slightly, despite the pain it caused, as they heard a small screech. Turning their heads, they saw a small, burgundy-hared boy with a pair of huge chocolate-brown eyes crawl out of the small, secret tunnel that lead into the room. " Dimitrei, you know that it's not safe to come here", Kai lectured gently, slowly parting from Dara to catch the child as he ran into his arms. He winced as the boy's touch sent pain shooting through his body, but didn't utter a sound, not wanting to frighten the child.

" I'm sorry", Dimitrei murmured, clutching to him tightly, like never wanting to let go. " I was worried."

Kai smiled slightly, stroking the child's hair with his good hand. " There's no need to worry, Dimi. I and Dara are both alright. It's okay."

" 'K", the boy replied, obviously not believing him.

Kai sighed silently as he held the innocent child, just barely managing to hold back his tears. Dimitrei was still so innocent, but each and every day witnessed horrors that made his child's faith shatter piece by piece. Kai knew from experience that if he wouldn't be able to keep it from happening, some years from now the boy would be just as cold and emotionless as he'd been when he first met the Bladebreakers.

And that was a destiny he wanted for no child.

" You alright?" Dimitrei's words pulled him back from his thoughts. The child was looking at him questioningly, worriedly.

He forced himself to smile and nod slightly. " Yeah, I am. Just thinking." Tough he tried to stop himself, he couldn't help shuddering slightly as he heard the familiar steps approaching the room. He looked at the now frightened Dimitrei sternly. " You need to go now, alright? Go to your room and stay there for the rest of the night."

Dimitrei nodded, and he smiled, stroking the child's cheek gently. " Good boy." The steps were almost at the door. " Now go. Everything's going to work out."

Seemingly unwillingly, Dimitrei darted towards the small opening in the wall, and disappeared in the exact second the door opened, revealing Voltaire for them to see.

" You aren't allowed to come into this room. I thought I made myself perfectly clear", Voltaire growled, his soulless eyes looking at Dara.

" I had to come to tend Kai's wounds. With the treatment those 'doctors' of yours give he'd die", Dara snarled back, showing no fear towards the man.

Voltaire's eyes flashed, and for a short moment Kai was sure the man would attack Dara, and he already prepared himself to protect the girl. Instead, however, Voltaire stood still, gaining back his emotionless stance. " Very well. Treat them." The man looked at Kai. " But then you come to my office at once – or she'll pay the price."

Gritting his teeth so hard that it hurt to keep himself from saying something that would harm him and Dara, Kai nodded. " Yes, grandfather", he spat out.

" Good." The man turned around, heading out. " Remember, Kai, I am waiting for you." With that, he closed the door and was gone.

As Kai turned his gaze from the door to Dara, he saw that the girl's eyes were filled with fear. He forced a stiff smile – that had became his new mask during his stay in Voltaire's hands – back onto his face. " It'll be okay."

Dara looked away, a slight hint of sadness joining to the fear. Knowing that there was nothing he could do or say to make the girl feel better, he let her get up and watched as she headed towards the desk where he kept the first-aid kit. Picking it up, she returned to him. " I need you to open your uniform", she told him.

He obeyed with a nod, and she began to re-bandage his various wounds. Both were silent as they drifted into their own thoughts.

After a long while she was finished and, gritting his teeth, he forced himself up and headed towards the door, wondering what Voltaire wanted now.

Just as he was almost out of the door, Dara's quiet voice stopped him. " Don't let him hurt you any more, please." Her eyes were filled with fear and unshed tears. " Come back to me."

He sighed, knowing that there was no way he could promise those things, and left without another word, closing the door softly behind him.

* * *

TBC.

* * *

A/N: WHAAAAAT! Tyson and Max breaking up? Mr. Dickinson is possibly Kai's grandfather? Uh-huh…

So… What is Voltaire going to do to Kai? Will Tala and Bryan get to tell the others that Kai and Dara are alive?

Stay tuned, everyone. And **please** review! You know how much it means to me.


	13. Persuasion

A/N: Yippee, I got another chappy done! (Which I hope it doesn't suck **too** badly.)

AGAIN, thank you so much for amazing reviews! At this point, I think it isn't necessary to tell you just how precious they all are to me. (And **Lady OfThe Damned Land**, thanks for your support! I really need it at the moment.)

Guess what? This appears to be, like, the shortest A/N **eve****r**! So, with no further babbling, here's chapter 13. This chapter starts some hours from where the last one left off. (Though there's a flashback first…)

* * *

CHAPTER 13: Persuasion

/ _When Tyson picked up his phone at two am, the last voice he expected to hear was his Chinese friend's. " Tyson, I think you should come to the hospital. Max… Max is… sick", Ray's voice, that sounded much deeper than Tyson had remembered, almost whispered._

_Tyson's sleepy mind was immediately alerted. Blinking in shock, he pushed himself into a sitting position. " W – what?" He wanted nothing more than to squeeze out every single detail of why Max was in a hospital, or – better yet – simply hung up and hurry over, but instead his lips formed the pretty much last question in his mind at the moment. " Aren't you and Alissa in China?"_

_" No, we came to Japan few hours ago." Ray gave an irritated sigh. " Look, Tyson… Max has pneumonia. He… he's very sick."_

_Tyson felt his entire body run cold, almost like the blood in his veins had turned into ice. It was hard to breathe, and he had to blink furiously to keep tears under control. " S – sick?" he wheezed._

_" Yeah", Ray confirmed, sounding like he was in tears. " You… you should come here. Max really needs you."_

_Gods how Tyson would've wanted to say yes, to take the first possible flight to Japan! He wanted to see Max – now more than ever. But… After all the bitter fights, he didn't think it was a good idea. Actually, no matter how hard he tried to think of one, he couldn't find a single reason why Max would want to see him. He'd brought Max much more pain than anything else. So… it would be selfish to go and see the boy, it would kill them both. And that's why he forced out the hardest words of all. " I don't think I can."_

_" What!" Ray's voice was filled with absolute disbelief and disappointment. " You can't be serious! Why the hell wouldn't you come?"_

_" Because I just can't, okay! I just can't!" Tyson almost screamed, tears spilling, head buried into his other hand. " It's… too complicated."_

_There was a long silence, he could almost hear Ray gritting his teeth. " You've done many, many selfish things, Tyson – the latest being this obsession about…" Ray trailed off, still – after all this time – unable to speak Kai's name. " But this… this definitely beats them all." At that moment, Ray completely lost control over himself, and all fury and frustration broke loose. " You've said that you love him! How can you abandon him like this when he needs you the most!"_

_Because I care about him over myself, Tyson would've wanted to say. Unable to bear the pain in his heart, he gladly let his grief turn into anger. " Don't you dare tell me how to treat those I care about!" he roared through still spilling tears. " And like you would be any better! You were supposed to be Kai's friend, and still you ditched him like a piece of junk!" Even when those words dropped through his lips, he knew that he was being ridiculous, but he just couldn't hold himself back. All the pain was just too much for him. " You never gave a damn about him, did you! That's why you can't even speak his name – it reminds you of how lousy 'friend' you are!"_

_For a long, long moment it was dead-silent. When Ray finally spoke – obviously desperately holding back tears, if not crying – the boy sounded like a wounded tiger. " Do us all a favour and stay in Russia, because you obviously don't give a shit about any of us." With that, the boy hung up._

_For a split second, Tyson stared at the phone with blank eyes, shivering all over. Then tears spilled once again, and in a matter of seconds he buried his face into his hands gave a heartbreaking cry._ /

* * *

Tyson's steps were somewhat heavy as he walked towards his grandpa's dojo, too lost in his thoughts to notice the rain washing over him. All the harsh words that had been exchanged between him and Max some hours earlier banged his ears all over again.

He didn't feel like crying anymore – he'd been doing far more than enough of that already. Instead he felt fury like never before towards himself.

Idiot. He was an idiot.

And the cost of that was far higher than he could bear.

When the dojo came to sight, Tyson froze. There was a car, a black limousine, parked before the house. And Tyson could immediately tell that there weren't many people it could belong to… " What the heck…?" he muttered, then darted forward, faster than anyone would've expected Tyson Granger to run (even with dangerously annoyed Kai chasing him).

As he barged in, he heard two male-voices talking quietly in the living-room.

" What's going on?" he demanded while entering the room, frightening the two men inside.

His grandfather and Mr. Dickinson, who were sitting on the couch, shot their gazes towards him.

" Dude, you know it's rude to storm in like that", his grandfather lectured, then blinked in confusion. " When did you come back from Russia?"

" What's going on?" he repeated his previous question, ignoring his grandpa.

Mr. Dickinson got up. " Hello, Tyson", he greeted, sounding suspiciously tense. The man thought for a long while before finding the right words. " I came here with some news."

Tyson frowned. " News?" he repeated.

" Yes. Come with me and I'll show you. Ray and Alissa are already waiting in the car, we'll go and pick up the others."

For a slightest moment Tyson felt hesitant. After all that had been said and done, a joined ride was far from pleasant idea. But curiosity soon replaced doubt, and he nodded. " What are we waiting for?"

* * *

As Kai stepped into Voltaire's office, he immediately got the feeling that everything wasn't quite in place. With a frown, he stepped further, approaching the man who was standing before a window, not facing him. " What's going on?" he asked rather harshly, wanting to get out of the office as fast as possible.

Voltaire turned around slowly, and a lesser man than Kai would've shivered under the demonic glare, emphasized by the dim light that made Voltaire's eyes glow. " I will not tolerate your protesting against me any longer", the man announced, taking some steps towards him.

Kai's unbandaged eye squinted slightly and he squeezed his hands into tight fists, trying to keep himself from doing something that might worsen his situation. " What are you going to do about it?" he asked, keeping his voice toneless.

" I have an offer for you", Voltaire announced. Deep inside Kai growled as the man took out Black Dranzer, and the black blade shone chillingly. " Use this blade, and you can have anything your heart desires. Power, freedom, end of pain…" Voltaire looked at him, eyes gloving. " Even Dara."

Something inside Kai snapped as he heard Voltaire speak Dara's name. His eyes were flaming with uncontrollable fury. " I will never use that blade against anyone ever again. I believe I've made myself quite clear", he growled.

Voltaire's eyes flashed. " What do you have to lose, grandson? Face your situation: your friends are gone, you have no escaping from here, and the ones you care about that are still alive are in danger because of you. Why do you keep struggling?"

Kai smirked. " Because I was taught to be strong."

Contact of Voltaire's hard fist told Kai that the man didn't appreciate his remark. Despite the pain, Kai refused to press his hand against the pained cheek, from which a few dribbles of blood escaped as old, long wound reopened.

" Wipe off that arrogant grin, grandson. I do not wish to harm you more than necessary", Voltaire snarled.

" I believe that line has already been crossed", Kai stated, defying the man.

For a while, it seemed that Voltaire would punch him again, but instead the man ended up gritting his teeth and squeezing his hands into fists, obviously doing his best to hold himself back. " Do not test my patience."

Kai knew better than go any further. Sure enough, he was Voltaire's grandson, but that didn't mean it was a smart idea the push the man's buttons. For a long time silence occupied the room.

" You have made many wrong decisions concerning the people around you, grandson", Voltaire finally spoke, looking at him with the eyes that caused anyone nightmares. " For a longest time, I couldn't understand why that was, for I had done all that was in my power to make you strong, invincible. But now, I believe I have finally found the answer." Voltaire turned around, turning his back on Kai, and walked back to the window, staring at the darkening landscape. " It's because of that foolish heart of yours, the same your father had. You have always been trained for ultimate perfection, but your feelings have made you weak, vulnerable. No matter how hard I tried, I never managed to turn off your feelings, you fought back too hard, held on to them so foolishly." Voltaire peered him over his shoulder. " Can't you see where your heart has lead you? You are all alone, Kai. Your 'friends', the ones you fought for so hard, are no longer here with you, and that's all your fault. And the one you care about the most is nothing but a blackmail-tool because of you." Voltaire looked away again. " All your feelings have ever brought you is pain."

" A life without a heart is not a life at all", Kai hissed, repeating the words his mother had told him.

Voltaire snorted. " Believe in that if it makes the pain subside." Voltaire turned around, turning fully towards him, eyes burning like Kai had never seen them burn before. " But I can make the pain go away, grandson. I can take away all that's been burdening you for so long." Once again the man showed him Black Dranzer. " This is all it takes."

Kai squinted his eye again, not liking the sound of Voltaire's voice. " And what are you going to do when I refuse?"

An ice-cold smile appeared to Voltaire's lips. " Then, my dear grandson, you will have to be persuaded."

* * *

In Mr. Dickinson's limousine Ray and Alissa we having a small discussion. " I still can't believe it", Ray whispered, then gave a small laughter. " Who would've thought Mr. D has secrets like that?"

Alissa smiled slightly. " Everyone has secrets, I suppose."

Ray looked at her, cocking an half-amused eyebrow. " Even you?"

Alissa smirked. " Especially I", she confirmed. She then rested her head against Ray's shoulder, and for a while they sat in peaceful silence.

Eventually Ray spoke. " I don't think we should tell the others", he murmured, absentmindedly stroking Alissa's silky hair. " I mean… With all the stuff that's happened…" He blinked. " Besides, Mr. D asked us to keep it as a secret."

Alissa nodded, eyes halfway closed and feeling drowsy all of a sudden. Even after all the time passed, it still amazed her how she always relaxed in Ray's company, no matter how horrible she was feeling. " Yeah, I think you're right", she murmured sleepily.

Both jumped in frighten when the door suddenly opened ajar and Tyson hopped in. For a while something uncomfortable could be sensed in the air as the trio gave each other looks. " Um… Hi", Tyson finally greeted nervously.

" Hi", Ray and Alissa gave their replies, and heavy silence fell on them.

Tyson felt his chest tighten, and he had to concentrate on staring out the window to keep himself from crying.

Of course he hadn't been expecting warm welcome with open arms, but… First the disaster with Max, and now this… Ever since the destruction of the Abbey he'd been feeling like his world was falling apart. And at that moment, as he realized how far away from each other what had once been the Bladebreakers had drifted, the last whole pieces were smashed.

It was almost amusing. Although he'd hardly spoken a word, Kai had somehow been such an important part of the Bladebreakers that without him, the team fell apart. Without him a huge gap had formed between them, and Tyson couldn't help wondering if anything could repair it.

He was so deep in his thoughts that he hardly noticed how Mr. D picked up Kenny, and also found Nadja from nearby gym practising kick-boxing. Tyson returned to reality just when the limousine parked before Max's house, and subconsciously gave a loud gulp, almost holding his breath.

_Oh no…_

He was determinedly staring out the window when the door opened, and quiet greetings were sounded as Max slid to his seat. He didn't know for how long they'd been driving forward when he finally managed to gather enough strength and courage to turn his head and look at Max. The boy was sitting as far away from him as possible, talking something with Ray so quietly that he didn't hear. Max's blue eyes were red and puffy from crying, and Tyson felt his heart twitch as he noticed that the boy's entire essence was filled with pain, sadness and hurt – all caused by him.

Once again, he tried to say what he should've said a long, long time ago, but instead turned his head and once more stared out the window, voicing the words only in his mind.

_I'm sorry._

* * *

" What do you mean by persuading?" Kai asked Voltaire, deep in his heart already guessing that he was in a deep trouble.

Voltaire smiled that cold smile of his, watching him like he was a piece of meat about to be served in a dinner. " Curious, are we?" the man asked.

Kai didn't dignify Voltaire with an answer. Giving a small humph, Voltaire pressed the button of his speaker. " Bring it in."

In a matter of seconds, the footsteps that had became all too familiar to Kai during the past few months entered the room. Turning his head slightly, he saw that Boris had some sort of a device in his hands. Kai frowned, having some dark ideas, but managed to shake the temptation to ask away. Voltaire and Boris nodded to each other, and after a second two guards came in, graphing Kai roughly. " Get your hands off me!" he hissed, attempting to struggle, but as expected, the men's hold remained unwavering.

He was dragged into a small, almost closet-like room that he remembered never being in before. The room was dark for there were no windows, and the only furniture was a heavy, chilling chair in the middle of the floor.

" Tie him", came Voltaire's order.

Kai winced unwillingly as he was thrown to the chair with extreme force, causing some of his old wounds reopen and his broken arm hurt. He frowned as he noticed that the guards were tying his hands and legs tightly to the chair, leaving no room for escaping. His heartbeat shot up. " What the hell are you doing?" he growled, glaring Voltaire demandingly.

The man just gave him another look. " Watch your language."

As the men were ready, Boris stepped forward, placing the device he'd been carrying – which appeared to be some kind of a helmet – onto his head. It covered his eyes, showing him a small screen.

" What's this?" he asked.

" You asked me what I meant by persuading", Voltaire replied. " Let's see if you feel like making yet another mistake after reliving all your previous ones."

* * *

After an unpleasant drive that had seemed endless, Mr. Dickinson's limousine finally pulled off, parking in front of a small, seemingly deserted forest-cottage.

" What are we doing here?" Nadja asked harshly, still not comfortable with the idea of all these people around her.

Mr. Dickinson looked at them, and hesitated for a while before beginning. " As you all know, the Abbey was destroyed. But apparently, something aside those six children who made it was left."

The gang exchanged looks, first time in months hope beginning to rise. Could it be…?

" What do you mean?" Ray dared to ask after a long silence.

The sad look in Mr. D's eyes made all hope disappear, the sadness in their eyes grow deeper. " I'm sorry. I wish I could tell you that it's the one you're all waiting for, but I can't." He sighed. " Go inside, though. I promise you, it'll be worth it."

Somewhat bleakly, the gang obeyed and headed towards the cottage. What did they got to lose, anyway?

" Anyone here?" Max asked as he carefully pushed the door open. No reply came, and after exchanging looks they cautiously entered.

They were all surprised to find that though the place looked shady, to say the least, from the outside, it was incredibly tidy on the inside. Apparently they'd been wrong in assuming that no one inhabited it. In the so-called living-room, there was a small vase with fresh flowers on the table.

" Wow…", was all Kenny could muster.

" Someone's done an amazing job with cleaning up this dump", Alissa commented.

" I guess we could take that as a compliment, don't you think?" came a familiar, slightly amused voice.

Spinning around, they all froze and their jaws (almost literally) hit the floor. Against the doorframe was leaning a familiar person they'd thought they'd never see again.

" I guess you're right", a second familiar face, stood beside the first one, commented.

There was a long silence, during which both Nadja and Alissa darted forward and embraced the first person with such intensity that they fell onto the floor, all laughing almost hysterically, overjoyed.

" T – Tala…?" Tyson, who was usually such a loudmouth, stammered, eyes wide, looking like he'd seen a ghost.

" And Bryan?" Ray wheezed in equal disbelief, a hint of distrust in his tone. " What's going on?"

Thick air of mistrust could be sensed as the gang looked at the two boys. True enough, their terms had somewhat warmed when Tala had been hospitalized, but it still didn't erase all that had happened in past from the Bladebreakers' minds. And judging by the looks Ray was sending Bryan's way, the neko-jin was far from over what had happened during their last battle.

Many things had changed, but it would take for a long time before all distrust would disappear – if it ever would.

" There's something important you should know", Tala stated, stern look in his eyes.

* * *

As the handling started, Kai soon realized that though he'd fought hard and valiantly, this form of torture might be the one he couldn't take.

Voltaire and Boris watched with much satisfaction as the usually strong boy opened his mouth and let out a desperate, feral scream of pain that would've surely broken their hearts if they'd had one.

" Seems that we succeeded", Boris commented.

" Yes, indeed." Voltaire's eyes flashed in dissatisfaction as he saw the single tear on Kai's cheek. Such a weak brat. He turned his gaze to one of his men. " Prepare the operation room, and call someone to take him to the surgery."

Boris gasped lightly. " A- are you sure?" he asked. " I mean… Do you think he can take it right after this?"

Voltaire's eyes were far above chilling as he looked at the man. " I think I know how much my own grandson can take", he stated coldly, then looked at Kai again. " Take care of your niece and that brat. I don't want them to interfere."

Hesitantly, Boris nodded. " Yes, sir." With that he walked out, leaving Voltaire alone with his suffering grandson.

Voltaire hardly noticed the man leaving. " This should teach you something about being strong", he stated coldly, looking at Kai. " When this and that surgery have been done, you'll be invincible."

* * *

At first, the screen before Kai's eyes showed a huge blur of colours, and his head became filled with such pain that he couldn't help but scream at the top of his lungs. But then the colours begun to fade and the pain subsided, and he allowed himself to relax just a little, thinking it was over.

Oh how wrong he was.

All of a sudden, he let out a loud gasp as smiling face of his mother filled the screen.

" _Ma – mama_?" he whispered, reaching out his hand to touch the woman (as he thought she was real), but his fingers met nothing but thin air. He couldn't even feel he was crying.

And then, another face, smiling as well, appeared. The man (who looked so much like him that it would've amazed anyone) took his mother gently into his arms and gave her a tender kiss on the forehead, to which she responded by leaning in to his touch and closing her eyes.

" _Papa_…"

All of a sudden, the smiles were gone, the warmth was gone. Instead, his parents looked at him, faces filled with pain and confusion (to him, it seemed that they were asking why he was hurting them), both of them covered by blood.

Kai couldn't hear himself screaming. " NO!"

As he desperately reached out his hand, with all his might trying to pull them back, they begun to fade away, screaming from pain, and eventually disappeared completely.

* * *

Without moving, without feeling anything but disappointment, Voltaire kept watching his grandson's pain, knowing that there was much more to come.

* * *

In her small, dark cell Dara jumped when the door was suddenly opened, and felt cold shivers running down her spine when she met Boris' face. " What's going on?" she demanded.

" Get up", Boris ordered harshly. " We're leaving."

" What about Kai and Dimitrei?" she protested, feeling fear take a strong grip on her heart. Had Voltaire done something to Kai? Because if that was the case…

Deciding not to wait for her to operate any longer, Boris walked up to her and dragged her up with painful force. " Dimitrei will be going with us", he told her, beginning to pull her with him. " And Kai… will be having a small… operation."

Those words made Dara's blood run cold. " What?" she gasped, barely managing to breathe. Realization hitting her, she begun to struggle against his hold. " No! I won't let you bastards hurt him any more! Let me go!" She only absently noticed that Boris had taken a needle from his pocket as she kept screaming and struggling. " KAI!" The needle was plunged to her neck. " Ungh!"

" If I were you, I would just be worrying about myself", Boris told her.

* * *

In the cottage, the gang had eventually decided to hear Tala and Bryan out. Perhaps what they had to tell was indeed important.

" We… we thought you died", Tyson half-whispered, seemingly confused.

" We almost did", Tala replied, seeming pained as he lived again the day. " But the others – Spencer, Ian… They were all killed, with no mercy."

Before any questions could be asked, Bryan went on. " But we were lucky enough to make it out alive…"

* * *

/ _Two bruised teenage-boys, who were just barely strong enough to stay on their feet, made their way in the secret tunnels of the Abbey, both supporting each other. Running steps of the men chasing them urged them to keep on moving, despite the pain and exhaustion._

_" Only few more steps…", Bryan whispered, his eyes drooping dangerously._

_" Mmm…", was all Tala, who was in a far worse condition than his companion, could manage._

_Just as they saw the end of the tunnel only a little way ahead, they heard a shout. " I found them!"_

_" Open fire!"_

_And with that, the sounds of various gunshots echoed in the stone-walls as the two boys pushed themselves and each other forward with newfound strength. One of the bullets gashed Bryan's cheek nastily, but he barely noticed it._

_With a luck that could be considered a miracle the two of them made it out – and collapsed to the snow only few steps afterwards._ /

* * *

" Some bystanders called an ambulance, and we were saved. After that, we were placed into this cottage for witness-protection", Bryan finished, eyes filled with pain caused by memories. " That was until we found something important and decided to call Mr. Dickinson."

Ray had a deep frown of doubt upon his face. " You keep telling us that there's something important you need to tell. What is it?"

As they looked on, Bryan took out a videotape and shoved it to them. " Perhaps this will give you an explanation."

* * *

While the gang was slowly learning the truth about the destruction of the Abbey, Kai's torment continued.

After seeing his parents, Kai thought it couldn't possibly get any worse.

Again, he was sadly mistaken.

The next face to appear made him whimper, and the guilt that had been gnawing his heart for years came flooding back, thousand times worse than before.

" Ivan…"

The boy was smiling, offering him his hand, and reflexively, completely forgetting that he was watching nothing more than an image, Kai tried to take it, but once again met cold, empty air. The sad look that appeared onto Ivan's face made him cry out. " I'm sorry." It was just a thin, pathetic whisper, not heard by even his own ears. " I'm so sorry…"

Suddenly Ivan screamed, of both pain and surprise, and Kai screamed as well when he noticed the vivid gunshot-wound on Ivan's stomach.

" NO!"

Seeming shocked, pained and accusing all at once, Ivan slowly lifted his glance from the wound, looking into his eyes, the boy's gaze clearly asking 'why did you do this to me?'.

Tears rolled freely over Kai's cheeks, he was shivering all over. " I didn't mean this…"

And with that, Ivan begun to fade away from him, disappearing completely.

By then, Kai no longer believed the torment would be over soon.

What followed next went beyond his darkest nightmares.

Nadja… Ray… Tyson… Max… Kenny… Tala… Dranzer… They all died before his eyes, died because of him, and he couldn't do a thing to stop it.

Kai opened his mouth, tried to scream out his pain, but all that came out was a wheeze, for all the screaming had taken away his voice.

It was his fault. All his fault. They were all dead, all gone. Because of his wrong decisions, his feelings, his mistakes. Just like Voltaire had said.

His fault…

His fault…

Eventually, blissful darkness engulfed him, wiping away all pain for a while.

* * *

Voltaire gave a sound of contentment as Kai fell forward, unconscious, caught by the ropes he'd been tied with. Instead of going over to his grandson, he turned around, heading towards the door. " Take him into the operation room", he ordered the two guards stood by the door. " He should be no threat right now."

" Yes, sir."

As they went up to Kai, the distant, dying echoes of his screams could still be heard in the walls.

* * *

Dara had tears glimmering in her eyes as she sat in a limousine, watching the building she'd been in for the past months, and without noticing it she wrapped her one arm slightly more tightly around Dimitrei, who'd fallen asleep.

If only her legs would've worked for her, she would've rushed back into the building and freed Kai. But the sedatives Boris had given her made her so weak that she could barely lift her hand, let alone walk. No matter how much she hated the idea of leaving Kai alone into this hell, she didn't have a choice.

She gently caressed the window-glass with her fingertips, letting a soul tear escape though she wanted to shed much more. " I promise you, I'll come back. I'll never forget. I will never leave you", she whispered, hoping that somehow the one the words were meant for could hear them.

With that the car begun to slide forward, ripping her painfully away from the one she cared about beyond anything else. And the only thing she could leave behind was her promise.

* * *

TBC.

* * *

A/N: Uh-aaah! What operation is Voltaire gonna do to Kai? Will the others be able to the prevent it – or will they even believe Kai's alive?

Stick along, everyone! And please, please, **please **review! (gives **HUGE** pleading eyes)


	14. Voices in darkness

A/N: Hi again! 'Suppose it's time for chapter fourteen.

First things first: Thank you for amazing reviews! Do I even have to mention how much I value them? (hugs you all)

Oh, Voltaire turns your guts around too? Oh, if you're ready to rip him apart now, just wait… (grins)

Okay, okay, time to stop jabbering and go on with the story! Hope you like this chappy.

* * *

CHAPTER 14: Voices in darkness 

/ _Seven-years old Kai's teary eyes were huge as he watched his mother fall to the floor, blood pouring out from the gunshot-wound on her chest. For some moments he stood completely frozen, brain unable to register what happened before them. But when he truth finally hit him, he gave a scream that would've broken anybody's heart. " Mama!" He tried to rush up to her, but growled as Boris' steely, unwavering hold kept him still. " You… bastard… Let me… go!" he snarled, grief and disbelief transforming into rage unlike anything he'd ever felt before._

_Voltaire, who'd been looking at the two bodies on the floor, lifted his gaze and looked at Boris, eyes showing no emotions. " Release him", he ordered in a stone-cold voice. " Perhaps touching them will help him realize the price of rebelling."_

_Boris' hands obediently let go of Kai, and the boy immediately rushed up to his mother and shook her, tears rolling over his cheeks. " M – momma?" he whispered, voice barely working._

_So very slowly and painfully, the woman forced her eyes open. They were filled with pain and softness as she (with much effort) lifted her hand and wearily stroke his cheek. " Kai-san… Don't cry…"_

_He blinked, trying to fight away his tears, but they leaked out anyway. His mouth opened several times without voice, until the words finally escaped, teary and lost. " D – don't leave…", he whispered, squeezing her hand as if that would've forced her to stay. " Please…"_

_" Sh… It'll be alright." Although her pained eyes remained soft, something stern, almost desperate, appeared into them. " Kai… I need you to promise…" She had to gather her strength for a moment, and Kai noticed with horror that her eyes seemed to become barker. She was already fading away… " You must… protect Nadja… Please… Keep her safe…"_

_Not bothering to consider the price of his promise, nor if he'd be able to keep it, Kai nodded, willing to do and say anything to ease his mother's pain. " I… I will…" He sobbed. " I promise."_

_With what was the very last of her strength, she once more reached her hand, and stroke his cheek with already cold fingers. Her eyes no longer held life, only shadow, as she looked at him, no longer really there. " My brave boy…", she gave a faint whisper. She blinked exhaustedly. " Aishiteru, Kai… Don't be afraid…" And as her eyes slid shut, they never opened again._

_Wakened up by the horrifying sounds of gunshots and screams, Nadja slowly walked down the stairs, getting an eerie feeling into the pit of her stomach as she realized how quiet it suddenly was. Cold shivers ran through her as the sounds of sobs reached her ears, and something close to panic hit her when she heard the voice speaking. " Do you now see what you have done, Kai? If it wasn't for you, they would still be alive."_

_Nadja gasped._

_Oh no… God, no…_

_And as she got to downstairs and saw the bodies of her parents on the floor, a scream of utter pain and sorrow that shouldn't have came from human-being escaped her throat. Tears rolled down her cheeks. " NO!"_

_She barely noticed as Voltaire walked up to her and wrapped his other arm around her, putting into his pocket the gun that had killed her parents. " I am so sorry, Nadja", he told her, almost gently._

_Hardly hearing the words, Nadja moved the gaze of her widened, teary eyes to her brother, who was still kneeled before their mother. As he slowly lifted his utterly pained, tear-filled gaze to meet hers, Voltaire's words echoed in her mind._

_" Do you now see what you've done, Kai? If it wasn't for you, they would still be alive."_

_Tears still rolling, she grit her teeth and clenched her hands into tight fists. " It's your fault they're dead, isn't it?" As Kai could only gasp in reply, her eyes squinted to slits. " I hate you!"_ /

* * *

While the others were still inside the cabin, adjusting to the news of Kai being still alive, Nadja and Tala decided to take a little walk to clear out their heads. 

Nadja didn't even realize she hadn't spoken a word for several minutes until Tala spoke. " Are you okay?" he asked gently.

She nodded, blinking her stinging eyes. " Yeah… Just… memories."

Tala nodded in silent sign of understanding, and for a while they walked in silence, admiring the beautiful forest around them. This time she was the one to speak first. " Look, I'm sorry I ripped you away from Alissa and everyone…"

Tala interrupted her with a determined shake of head. " I did it voluntarily. You needed me." He smiled slightly. " Besides, Lissa and I will have plenty of time to talk. She understands."

She nodded once more, and as another silence fell, her own, bitter words came back to her mind, ringing in her ears painfully.

_" I hate you!"_

She squeezed her eyes tightly shut, biting back threatening tears.

_Kai… I'm so sorry…_

" Nadja." Tala's stern voice ripped her back from her thoughts. Looking at him, she saw his blue eyes were flaming. " You'll have stop blaming yourself of things that weren't even your fault. Voltaire lied to you, to all of us. What happened between you and Kai… It wasn't your fault. You were only six, and Voltaire manipulated you." He gave her a slight, reassuring smile. " You'll have to forgive yourself eventually."

Sighing, she lowered her gaze, staring at the ground below her feet. If only she could've believed him…

But before her eyes, she could still see Kai's face that was a mask of pain, hurt and betrayal.

_I afraid it isn't me I need absolution from…_

* * *

_Deep breaths_, Ray told himself as he leaned on the almost collapsed wall of the cottage, eyes squeezed tightly shut._ Just breathe… You can do it…_

Kai was alive. That was the only thought that fit into his consciousness.

Kai was alive, and they'd failed him, given up on him. After all the times he'd saved them from trouble, they'd paid back by abandoning him when he needed them most.

And he didn't even dare to think what Kai had been through because of their stupidity.

_Voltaire fooled you, fooled everyone_, a part of his brain tried to message him._ There was no way you could've known._

Unfortunately, he couldn't make himself believe it.

He gave a weak, shuttering sigh of relief when noticing that the worst attack of nausea had passed by. His legs were shaking worse than ever before as he straightened himself, trying to gather enough of strength to turn around and go back to the cabin where the others still were, trying to adjust to the news.

He'd have to be strong, for Kai. If the Russian had survived in the Abbey for all this time, he'd have to be able to do at least this much.

" Ray, I think we should have a little talk", suddenly came a familiar, accented voice from behind him.

His eyes immediately squinted and fists clenched into balls in a reflex. " Give me just one good reason to listen to you", he growled, spinning around to face Bryan.

For a slightest of moments, a flash of something – hurt, perhaps – could be seen upon the lavender-hared boy's face, but he quickly disguised it with emotionless mask. " I don't think you know me well enough to judge me like that", Bryan announced in a strange, deep voice. The boy gathered himself for a while before continuing, pained eyes no longer looking at him. " Look, I know… what I did to you, but… I didn't have a choice. Voltaire left me no choice." Huge mixture of emotions could be seen in the boy's eyes. " Ray, all we had in the Abbey was each other. I, Kai, Tala, Spence, Ian… We did everything we could to protect one another, because we were each other's only family, each other's… everything." Ray could've sworn he saw Bryan's eyes go teary for a while. " I and Tala did everything we could to find Kai back then, you have to believe me. But we were injured, and Voltaire had probably already taken Kai away from that shit-hole. If we hadn't left, we'd be dead now."

And as Bryan spoke, Ray suddenly remembered a picture he'd found from the box Kai had left for the Bladebreakers. He'd disregarded it at first, thinking it wasn't important, but now… he could see why Kai had wanted them to see it.

The picture had represented Kai, Tala, Bryan and Ian sitting in a locker-room of some bey-arena. (Spencer had apparently been the one taking the picture.) Kai was sitting in the middle, Tala and Bryan their other arms wrapped around his shoulders, all three huge smiles upon their faces. Ian was standing on the bench behind them, holding up two fingers behind Kai's head, grinning widely. The boys were about at the age of twelve. Behind the picture had been a brief line of writing in Russian, written in Kai's familiar handwriting.

Ray now understood. Kai had wanted them to know that the Demolition Boys weren't bad people, nor enemies. They were just boys who'd been forced to go through far too much during their short lives – just like Kai. And if they'd learned to trust Kai, to consider him as a friend, then… they'd be able to do the same for Tala and Bryan.

Heading back into the cabin, Ray spoke, not looking at Bryan. " A lot of things have to be sorted out, and I'm still far from trusting you. But… I suppose anything is possible. We'll wait and see."

He could imagine Bryan blinking his eyes in confusion. It took for a while before the boy managed to utter words. " Why?"

Ray smiled, still not looking at the boy. " Because even in yin-yang – symbol, there's always a small circle of light inside the darkness." With that, he entered the cabin, closing the door quietly behind him.

Confusion – among many others – was a feeling Bryan wasn't familiar with. But that was surely what engulfed his mind as he looked at the door Ray had just walked through, small frown of wonder upon his face.

_" There's always a small circle of light inside the darkness."_

Was it true? Was there still hope for him, too – even though he'd been lost in the darkness for so long, strayed so badly?

" Of course there's still hope for you." Turning his head, he saw Alissa sitting on the porch of the cabin, smiling slightly. " Hope is never lost until you choose to leave it."

Bryan smiled – a sight that hadn't been witnessed for years. " I always admired your optimism, Lissa." Seeing the slight discomfort in her eyes, he blushed – something that hadn't been seen ever before. " Sorry… I know you're…"

" Just how long will you keep apologizing with no reason to?" Alissa interrupted gently.

He smiled slightly again, and for a long moment they sat in peaceful silence, both lost in their thoughts. Eventually he spoke. " Does… Have you told Ray?" he asked hesitantly, carefully, not sure of how to set his words.

Alissa shook her head, staring at some spot in distance. " There's no reason to, yet at least. I'll tell him when – and if – the time comes."

He nodded, and another silence fell on them – but was soon pierced by a scream of pain. Giving each other looks of worry and confusion, they rushed into the cabin, only to find Ray standing there, holding his other hand with confused, startled look in his golden eyes. The boy was staring at Kai's blade, which had fallen to the floor and was glowing furiously. Alarmed by the scream, Nadja and Tala barged into the cabin, Kenny looked up from his laptop – seeming frightened – and Max and Tyson also appeared into the room.

Seeing that Ray's hand was slightly burned, Alissa gasped and rushed over, investigating the injury. " What the heck happened?" she asked, voice laced with worry.

" I… I honestly have no idea", Ray stammered, sounding frightened. " Kai's blade… It became very hot all of a sudden." Looking into his eyes, she saw that they held a small fire he'd lost the day the news of Kai's possible death had came. " I know this sounds crazy, but… I think she's trying to contact Kai."

* * *

Laying unconscious, Kai's eyelid twitched at the sound of familiar voice. 

' _Mater, wake up. You must wake up!_'

In his mind, Kai gave a small gasp of astonishment. ' _D – Dranzer?_' He mentally shook his head. ' _No, it's… it's impossible… You were destroyed…_'

' _A friend of yours helped me._'

Kai mentally frowned. ' _A friend? But… they're…_'

' _Master, I'm sorry, but there's no time for explanations. You must wake up, you're in great danger._'

' _Dranzer…_'

' _Wake up, please!_'

Kai's unbandaged eye snapped open and he gasped, dazed by the vivid dream. Or had it been a dream at all? No, that was just delusional… Most likely his mind was playing tricks on him, creating what he wanted to see and hear, right? But… Everything was much too confusing, he couldn't be sure…

Trying to clear his head and find out what was happening he blinked, as everything seemed to be spinning around him. He was laying down on… something, a bed most likely, and according to the way roof moved above him, he was being wheeled somewhere. " Is the operation room ready?" he heard someone ask, the voice jumbled in his ears.

" Yes, sir. Dr. Karenski is waiting for him", someone from his right replied, then continued uncertainly and carefully. " Sir… I don't mean to question your judgement by any means, but… Are you sure he can take this? I mean… After all he just went through… There'll be a tremendous deal of pain, and there's also a chance of rejection…"

" Katja, if I were you, I would keep my opinions to myself. After all, you value your family's safety, don't you?" the still jumbled voice that had spoken first stated calmly, dangerously, and the one named Katja didn't dare to speak anything further.

Kai tensed, feeling his heart beat much faster than it should've. Operation room? Pain and… rejection? Did this mean…?

_Oh… shit…_

He moved his hands furiously, wanting to get up and run, but there was something restraining them. His legs seemed to be tied up as well.

There was no way out. He… he couldn't escape. There was nothing he could do.

Unpleasantly familiar face of Voltaire soon hovered over him. The man had a strange, almost tranquil look upon his face. " Oh, you are awake. It seems that you must be given another injection."

Panic flooded over Kai, and it took just about all he had not to let it show. " No… more… needles…", he asked, getting his response as something sharp roughly pierced his arm.

Smiling chillingly, Voltaire stroke his cheek. " Don't worry yourself, grandson. Everything will be alright. After this surgery, you'll be feeling much, much better – and stronger."

Yeah, right…, Kai thought sarcastically, feeling his mind go hazy. " I… hate… you…", he hissed at Voltaire with the last of his strength.

The man simply smiled, stroking his hair this time. " Goodnight, grandson."

And with that, world went from black to white.

* * *

Some twenty minutes later, Tyson was just about to knock on the door of the room Max had gone to, when he froze dead on his tracks. Inside Max was talking to his cell-phone, and although Tyson knew very well that eavesdropping was wrong, he couldn't help himself.

Max's voice was unusually deep as he spoke, sounding like he was going through a huge tidal-wave of emotions (which most likely was the case). " Yeah Jax, it's me…" The boy took a deep breath as he paused. " I… I'm not sure…" There was a sob. " Kai's alive." Another pause, during which Max seemed to gain back some of his composure. " Yeah, I'll be okay… I just… wish you'd be here… This is all kinda… overwhelming." Max gave a laughter, and Tyson felt his heart hurt once again as he realized that it was the same laughter Max had used to only given to him. Obviously, many things had changed between them. " I guess you're right… Look, we're going to Russia now, but I'll call you as soon as we'll get there, 'k?" Again the same painfully familiar laughter. " You too. Thanks for making me feel better. Bye."

After that Max hung up, but it took for a long time before Tyson managed to compose himself enough to knock on the door. " Yeah?" came Max's reply.

He felt pained, nervous and confused all at once as he carefully inched the door, peering in. Sitting on his bed, Max was wiping his eyes, back towards him. He cleared his throat nervously before speaking. " It's me."

Disbelief, pain and anger could all be seen in Max's eyes as the boy turned his head and looked at him. " What are you doing here?" the boy snapped in almost harsh voice.

Taken aback, Tyson blinked his eyes, not exactly sure of what to say. " I…" _I just wanted to see if you're okay_, was what he wanted to say, but his lips formed something entirely different. " I came to check if you're ready to go."

Max seemed surprised, if not even hurt, by the reply, but managed to nod anyway. " I just call mom and I'm good to go."

Tyson nodded as well, beginning to close the door between them. " Good." Just before the door closed, he managed to choke out the three words he'd helplessly tried to utter for countless of times. " I'm sorry." And as the door slid shut, he could only pray Max had heard him, because he'd never be able to repeat those words.

Looking at the door, Max had to blink away threatening tears before he was composed enough to pick up his cell-phone and dial numbers. It took for a while before there was a reply. " _Hello?_"

" Dr. Carrington, it's… it's Max." He took a deep, shuttering breath. " You said I could call whenever I… I feel like… that…"

" _Yes, of course._" He could almost see her frown. " _Max, has something happened? Is something wrong?_"

Those words and her soft voice made all barriers break, and he gave a small cry, burying his face into his hands. At that moment, all mess – his breakup with Tyson, strange relationship with Jax, and, perhaps most of all, the news of Kai being alive – flooded over him, overwhelming him. Of course he was overjoyed of Kai being alive, but… For months he'd thought he'd lost one of his best friends, and had just barely managed to grasp on the idea. It was just a short week ago he'd been able to open up his eyes in the morning and feel like he could make it through the day without falling apart. And now… everything was changing again. " Everything's wrong", he whispered.

* * *

When the darkness once again begun to drift, Kai immediately moaned quietly as huge wave of headache washed over him. There was a sound of steady beeping somewhere in background that made the headache get even worse, and he winced, trying to block out the irritating noise. 

He tried to figure out what had happened, but everything was so fuzzy… His thoughts wouldn't work straight, and he felt so very tired…

Suddenly the pain in his head seemed to spread, and his entire body begun to hurt unbearably. The ache was sharp, almost like he'd been stabbed all over. Not self noticing it, he gave a hiss of pain.

_What the hell have these freaks done to me!_

Trying furiously to concentrate on anything but the pain – which seemed to deteriorate by the second – he discovered that there was something placed over his mouth and slowly, noticing that it required much more effort than usually, inched his eyelids. Someone must've removed the bandage that had covered his right eye, because both eyes opened to meet what was nothing more than a white blur – or actually, only one of his eyes seemed to be able to see. He gulped, shivering slightly.

_What the…?_

As the vision of his good eye slowly begun to clear out, he discovered with a wave of panic that 'the thing' on his face was in fact a oxygen-mask. In immediate reflex he tried to lift his hand to remove it, but panic attacked him again as he noticed that his hands wouldn't move. In fact, even a single part of his body wouldn't work for him; he couldn't even turn his head.

_Oh no… No no no no…_

The annoying beeping got faster, much faster, and the stabbing pain – if possible – became even worse, the invisible knives seemed to plunge deeper into his flesh, forcing him to give a wounded, desperate whimper. Worried sounds came to his ears. " Dr. Karenski, I think he woke up, but his pulse and blood-pressure…"

" Damnit…", another voice gave a curse under breath. After a brief moment, slightly blurry figure of a woman with blond hair and ocean-blue eyes hovered above him. " Kai, I need you to calm down, alright? I know it hurts, but you have to fight against the pain." She took a look at something – probably his heart-monitor – then looked back at him again with a frown. " This is for your own good. Take deep breaths, and concentrate." For some reason, Kai knew the woman was right; he really did feel like he was suffocating, and his heart was beating so furiously against his ribcage… He did as ordered, and the woman nodded. " Good. Just keep breathing." The beeping slowed down, and he was so concentrated into listening to it, breathing and blocking out the pain that he didn't even notice the doctor pull out a needle and plunge it to his arm. " You'll begin to feel tired, but the pain should ease now." She gave him a cold, mechanical smile. " There's nothing to be afraid of."

Kai tried to fight against the sedative, knowing what would happen if he'd doze off. But his eyelids nevertheless slid shut, with the doctor's words left ringing into his ears. Memories flashed before his closed eyes.

_" There's nothing to be afraid of."_

/ _Voltaire setting a warehouse into flames while his tied up friends screamed desperate protests._ /

_" There's nothing to be afraid of."_

/ _He, pointing tied up Tala with a gun, tears in his eyes._ /

_" There's nothing to be afraid of."_

/ _Voltaire shooting Nadja, the girl falling down._ /

_" There's nothing to be afraid of."_

/ _Dara's screams of pain._ /

_" There's nothing to be afraid of."_

/ _Voltaire torturing him, over and over again._ /

Eventually blinding white engulfed him, and he felt, saw or heard nothing more.

* * *

By the cabin, Mr. Dickinson startled as the gang barged into the limousine, all visibly sparkling with newfound anxiety. 

" We're going to Russia", Tyson announced. " It seems that we have friends to save."

First time in weeks, he smiled slightly as the car started.

* * *

TBC.

* * *

A/N: Uuu-aaaaaaaaaah! What the _hell_ has Voltaire done to Kai? Will the others finally be reunited with him? 

Until next chapter, everyone! Please, please, review!


	15. Twilight zone

A/N: Hi, everyone! I finally managed to scrabble up chapter 15.

As always, I want to thank you guys for your fantastic reviews! As you must know by now, I wouldn't write a single chapter if it wasn't for you. (sends out a hug)

Just one question! How do you guys want Tyson and Max's relationship to turn out? Do you think they should get back together or not? And remember, I'm still open for (almost) all your suggestions concerning what should happen in this story.

Okay, okay, let's go on. Now you finally find out what that… bastard Voltaire did to Kai. (I know, there's not a strong word enough to describe him.) Hope u enjoy.

* * *

CHAPTER 15: Twilight zone

/ _Both Max and Tyson were in daze as they walked through busy streets of Paris, both overwhelmed by the intoxicating atmosphere of 'The city of love'. This was the first time for who knows how long they were alone; with Kenny working on Dizzy, Ray practising with Driger (plus fighting with Mariah over cell-phone) and Kai wandering off somewhere, they'd decided to sneak out to explore the city._

_Neither knew for how long their companionable silence had lasted when Max suddenly spoke, looking around him with sparkling eyes. " I just love Paris!"_

_" Who wouldn't?" Tyson replied, looking around with exited, almost childlike eyes, taking in the essence of the city. " I mean, look at all this! People, atmosphere, food…" He nearly bumped into Max as the boy suddenly stopped. " Hey! What are you doing?" He was surprised to notice that Max's eyes were almost watery as the boy stared at something, frozen. He frowned deeply with worry. " What's wrong?"_

_Max gave a small laughter; not his usual hyper-one, but deep, almost sad. " It's… It's totally stupid." Max pointed at something, and as he looked he saw a beautiful, small pure-white owl sitting on a nearby tree, looking at them. " My… my grandma … loved owls… She died when I was eight…" Max blinked his eyes, and Tyson felt his heart jolt as the boy – probably subconsciously – took his hand. After second's hesitation, he gave Max's hand a squeeze of support. " She knew that… that she was sick, and… she told me that she'd always be watching over me… Even after death."_

_For a long while Tyson wondered what he should do to comfort his friend. Eventually he let a smile grace his lips and gave Max's hand another squeeze. " Life is full of miracles, Maxie", he repeated his mother's words._

_Blinking, seeming stunned by his words, Max looked at him, and remained thoughtfully solemn for a while, obviously wondering. Finally a small smile appeared to the blonde's lips, and Tyson felt return to his squeeze. " I suppose you're right."_

_From its branch, the owl watched the soon-to-be-lovers with its wise, all-seeing eyes. If birds can smile, that's what the owl did as it watched the way the two boys looked at each other, then rose to its wings and disappeared._ /

* * *

The mood in Mr. Dickinson's private jet was – to say the least – electric as the Bladebreakers and their 'comrades' headed towards Russia. Most of the group had found something to distract themselves from thinking of what was to come: Kenny was – as per usual – typing furiously on Dizzy (ignoring her constant complaining), Ray was doing something that seemed to be a form of meditating, Mr. D had been talking to his cell-phone since the jet had taken off, and Alissa, Nadja, Tala and Bryan were absorbed into talking quietly in Russian.

Sitting on a window-seat, Max seemed to be oblivious to all this, vacant darkened eyes staring at the clouds passing by. So deep in his thoughts he was that he jumped in frighten when a hand was placed to his shoulder. Turning his head, he met a pair of uncertain blue eyes. " Tyson?" First time in a long while his voice was laced with more confusion than anger; progress that made some hesitance disappear from Tyson's eyes. " What do you want?"

Not sure of how to react to his words, Tyson blinked and looked away for a while before looking back at him again. " Look, I know that… a lot has been going on, but… I haven't forgotten." The boy handed him a small box. " Happy birthday, Maxie." With that the boy abruptly walked away.

For a while Max sat completely still, staring at the box in his hand, almost like not knowing what to do with it. Eventually he managed to gather his wits and slowly, almost cautiously, opened it – and let out a gasp of surprise. " Tyson…"

In the box, painstakingly set, laid the most beautiful silvery locket he'd ever seen. The picture engraved onto it made a single tear roll to his cheek: it was a stunning owl rising to its wings.

* * *

**Three days later.**

In the corner of a dark room, a figure that had curled up into a tight ball gave a loud heave, then squeezed his eyes tightly shut and whimpered as he felt indescribable pain shooting through his entire being. " Make it stop…", he begged – from who, he had no idea, and it didn't even matter to him. " Please… No more…"

Kai had no idea of for how long ago the operation had been made, nor what had been done to him. All he knew was that ever since he'd been in this… pain that no words were enough to describe. He couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, couldn't even think. All that fit into his mind was the pain – in his head, in his stomach, in his arms and legs, everywhere. There was also this nausea, so horrible that at times – like now – he just wanted to curl up and die. The only thing that kept him in his senses were the regular visits of Voltaire's doctors, who gave him injections that made him feel so drowsy that the pain subsided for a while and he was finally able to fall into some sort of (usually nightmare-filled) sleep. Those injections would've been a bliss, had there not been this… warning in his heart. Some distant, stubborn part of him tried to tell him that despite the pain and nausea, he had to keep his mind clear – especially when he was in Voltaire and Boris' hands. And that's why he persistently kept struggling against the doctors, no matter how tempting the idea of injections that would take everything away felt.

And… There was also something else. Whenever his mangled thoughts strayed, when he lost control over himself, it felt like… something was trying to take over him. Every time that happened, attack of unbearable headache stroke him, and each time it was harder and harder to fight against this 'thing'. What it was, he had no idea, but every time his mind went hazy due to drugs and anaesthetics, he feared it might take the best of him.

He opened his eyes slowly, unwillingly, when the door of his cell was opened and yet another doctor of Voltaire's stepped in, carrying a needle. " Seems like it's time for your medication, Kai", the doctor told him, approaching.

Despite the horrifying pain he was in, Kai growled. " Leave… me… alone…", he hissed, squinting his eyes.

" This is only good for you", the doctor told him, preparing the needle. " Alright. I promise you, this won't hurt much."

Unable to do anything to protest in his current condition, Kai simply watched as the doctor plunged the needle into his arm. He winced as the yellowish-brown liquid flooded into his veins, giving a burning sensation, almost like the stuff had been acid. " Good boy", the doctor told him. " Soon, you'll be feeling much better."

* * *

Stood in his office, Voltaire watched from small screen the picture surveillance-camera sent from Kai's cell. He gave a sound of contentment as the boy's eyes fell shut. " Seems like the improved cyber implants are working perfectly", he stated.

" Do you think he'll break?" Boris, who was stood beside him, also observing the screen, inquired, seeming thoughtful.

" Everyone has a breaking-point", Voltaire murmured, watching Kai fall to the cold floor. " It's only a matter of time. He can't keep fighting forever." Ripping his gaze off of the screen, he looked at Boris. " We managed to break even Tala, remember?"

Boris returned his look with a cocked eyebrow. " Are you seriously comparing those two?"

Giving a low growl, Voltaire looked at the screen again. " One might think you're on his side, Balkov. You're getting softer." He paused for a while, watching Kai whimper in his sleep. " As soon as he wakes up, take him for another round. But be careful with him – he's dangerous now."

Hesitance written all over his face, Boris nodded. " Yes, sir." With that, he walked out of the room, leaving the elder watch his grandson's pain.

* * *

When the affect of the injection wore off, Kai gave a sigh of disappointment and exhaustion as all pain came flooding back, and another attack of nausea crept up his sore throat.

_Oh no, please, not again…_

He yelped out loud when the headache once again grew almost greater than he could bear, and something deep inside of him fought over control, tried to make his muscles move against his will. Squeezing his eyes even more tightly shut and gritting his teeth, Kai fought back, tears of pain seeping from his eyes.

_What the hell is this!_

Eventually – after much longer and harder fight than ever before – the pain subsided, and he was once again in control over himself. Panting from extreme fatigue, he yet again wondered for how long he'd have the strength to fight against that 'thing' inside of him; whatever it was, it was powerful, and grew stronger each time it tried to take over – and at the same time he grew weaker, with pace that frightened him.

He was too exhausted to open his eyes or react in any other way as the door opened, just kept panting, praying that whoever there was would go away. No such luck. " Alright Kai, off for another round", Boris stated.

" No…", he whimpered, unable to bear even the idea of having to go through some more of what he had. His head fell as the same, horrifying headache stroke, and 'the thing' once again fought over control. He begun to shiver. " Please… No…"

Boris, however, didn't hear him – or no, just didn't care – as he walked up to the boy who'd been forced through far more than he could handle, and graphed the shivering teenager up with a force that almost broke the boy's good arm. " We are going. Now."

But as Kai lifted his head, his eyes held something cold and metallic, inhuman, that would've chilled even the stoniest one of hearts. Something Boris had never felt before – fear, could it possibly be? – gripped his heart when those eyes flashed and the previously defenceless boy graphed his throat with a hold that almost suffocated him. " I've had enough of your games", Kai growled in a voice Boris had never heard before.

Gasping as Kai's hold was restraining his breath, Boris thought furiously. _It… it can't be… The cyber implants… Are they taking control?_ His eyes widened, and a gasp of other kind – one of fear – erupted. _Oh my God… What have we done?_

" What's wrong?" Kai asked mockingly. " Don't like to see a puppet taking over the theatre?" So saying, Kai hurled him against another wall with power unlike anything Boris had ever felt before, as if the tall man was just cotton-ball. Boris gasped as he fell to the floor, trying to regain his breath. Lifting his head, shivering from growing fear, he noticed that Kai was heading out of the cell. " I'm leaving. I'm bored of playing your little lab-rat."

But just as Kai (or no, no more Kai – rather 'creature') got into the hallway, he was restrained by five of Voltaire's strongest guards. The boy growled and fought furiously, but despite all that a doctor got to him and managed to plunge a needle filled with blue substance to his neck.

As the injection started to kick in, Kai felt his head swimming, unable to realize what was happening. Why… why had he attacked Boris like that? And why had he said those words? He hadn't formed them willingly. What the heck had happened? What the hell was wrong with him? Why had he lost control over himself like that – or rather, what the heck was taking control over him?

But before he could come up with any answers, Boris stood before him. Huge amount of feelings – all from rage to fear – could be seen in the man's eyes as he wordlessly gave Kai a punch that almost knocked the boy down. " Do something like that to me ever again, half-blind brat, and you'll live doped up for the rest of your pitiable life. Understood?"

Kai blinked in confusion, still unable to understand. What the_ hell_ was crawling under his skin? What was going on with him?

" Now come with me", Boris ordered in a near-growl. " I suggest you to obey, unless you want to face the punishment."

Kai obeyed unwillingly, wishing dearly that what was happening had been just another nightmare that would end soon, as that thought was the only thing that kept him in his senses. He followed Boris dully, knowing painfully clearly that there was nothing he could do to defy the man, feeling all his wounds – both old and new – throbbing like never before. It felt like his entire body and soul were falling apart.

While walking, he once again noticed that this place was so dark that he could hardly see ahead of himself, even with his seeing eye wide open. And slowly, Kai was beginning to believe that he'd never see another flicker of light.

Hell. He was in hell.

After a walk that seemed to consume all his little strength, they stopped as Boris opened the small door of the all-too-familiar dark room, thrusting him inside. Waiting there were his grandfather and the same two guards as the last time. And that device that would haunt him in his nightmares forever – assuming that he'd make it through this alive.

" Shall we begin?" his grandfather stated, not asked, and the torture begun all over again.

* * *

Meanwhile the gang was in the local BBA headquarters, negotiating of what they should do with the head of local police-department, Vladimir Gradski.

" I afraid I can't give you too much of hope", Gradski stated in terrible English. " The first time we were looking for the Abbey, we searched everywhere."

" We've been waiting, hoping and searching for months! Don't you dare tell us you're the ones giving up!" Ray, who was usually calm and composed, roared like a full-grown tiger, making everyone jump on their seats.

" Ray, there's no reason to yell at him", Mr. Dickinson lectured gently, knowing how much the gang had gone through and how it was taking its toll. " The authorities are doing their best, I'm sure. We just have to be patient." To be fair, it was hard for Mr. D himself not to attack on the arrogant police-man.

" I know Voltaire Hiwatari", Tala spoke. " He's too smart to stay somewhere you could easily find him."

Gradski seemed offended for his work being criticized. " Then what are you suggesting?" he asked in a biting tone.

Not saying a word, Tala stepped up to the map of the city and its surroundings hanging on the wall, with his finger making a circle around the furthest, pretty much deserted, part of the city. " Have you tried here?"

Gradski frowned, obviously not liking the idea of going there. " There's nothing but ruins and empty buildings in there, young man."

Tala smirked. " Wouldn't it be a perfect place, then?"

* * *

Had it been the same handling he received the last time, Kai might've made it through without falling apart. But as always, Voltaire had an unpleasant surprise in store for him.

This time, it wasn't just the people who he'd already lost he kept seeing. No, the game had advanced into a whole new level.

This time, the face he saw was Dara's.

" No…", he whispered as soon as the girl appeared into his view, not believing that even his grandfather could be this cruel. " No, no, no…."

Dara's hand reached out for him, and this time he could actually feel the gentle touch of her fingers, her soft scent of vanilla lingering in the air. He wished he could've touched her, brushed her face, told her that it was going to be alright, but his body wouldn't work for him. His muscles seemed paralyzed, and every time he opened his mouth in desperate attempt to form words his voice was caught into his throat. All he could do was watch helplessly, knowing what was to come.

Smiling, she caressed him once more. " I love you."

Kai opened his mouth, tried to force the words to come with all his might, but all that came was thick and heavy silence.

_Please forgive me…_

And, just like every time, Dara's face suddenly contorted with pain, and she screamed in pain, breaking his heart, making tears flood, breaking him, shattering him.

Suddenly finding his voice, he screamed as well in pain no words could express, so loudly that it was probably heard through the entire building.

" NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

_Oh my God, forgive me…_

And as she begun to fade away, he screamed again, then again, for so long that he was eventually screaming without voice, the echo of his voice striking his ears, increasing the pain.

" NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

* * *

With deep satisfaction, Voltaire watched his grandson, knowing that he'd finally succeeded. Kai had been a tough one to crack, but he'd done it.

His work was done.

" Take it off, and untie him", he commanded.

Another one of the guards blinked in surprise. " A – are you sure?"

Voltaire gave the man a dark glare. " Obey, Mihaelov. You have no right to ask questions."

As the guards obeyed, he stepped towards Kai, observing the trembling boy with his gaze. Kai's eyes were tightly shut, tears leaking through closed eyelids, and his breathing sounded hitched for both the crying and the broken ribs still bothering his young heir. " Look at me", he ordered.

Kai heard the command, but his eyes refused to open. As long as he'd keep his eyes shut, he wouldn't have to face the reality.

" Look at me!" Voltaire hollered, this time with much more volume, and Kai fought the urge to yelp as the man slapped him hard on the face.

At this point, his eyes gradually slid open despite resistance, and he met his grandfather's soulless gaze. Noticing that he wasn't tied, he immediately prepared himself to attack the monster before him, but blinked in surprise when his muscles wouldn't work. " W – what…?"

Seeing his muscles twitch, Voltaire arched an eyebrow. " Now what's that, grandson? Did you actually try to attack me?" the man asked, sounding deeply amused. " How very pathetic."

" What did you twisted freak do to me!" Kai roared, the same unpleasantly familiar headache hammering his head. " What's wrong with my body?"

Voltaire's eyes held a look of something utterly chilling as the man looked at him, almost… smiling. " Oh, nothing much. I simply… had you programmed a little. Made you a little less dangerous to me."

Kai frowned. ' Programmed'? " What are you talking about?"

" Allow me to make a small demonstration." Voltaire turned his head towards the two guards stood by the door. " Mihaelov, I want you to attack me."

The man seemed utterly shocked. " W – what?"

Voltaire gave a growl of irritation. " Just do it."

Hesitantly, the man attacked towards Voltaire – and just then, Kai noticed that his legs worked again, 'the thing' inside of him once more taking over. He'd tackled Mihaelov down almost before he even noticed what he was about to do, and found himself sitting on Mihaelov, other leg on the almost choking man's throat, both bloodied fists punching the man, over and over again. Absolutely terrified, he tried to make himself stop, but found himself powerless against 'the thing'. And again, his lips formed words that weren't really coming from him. " This is what you get for threatening Voltaire Hiwatari, you low piece of filth."

" Alright. I believe that is enough", Voltaire stated calmly, and Kai immediately found himself standing up, leaving bleeding and couching Mihaelov laying to the floor.

His eyes were filled with hatred as he looked at Voltaire. " What the hell was that?" he snarled, shivering from rage and frighten. " Why… why did I do that?"

" Because when the cyber implants were put into you, you were programmed to protect me, whatever the cost. You can call it my little… life-insurance." There was a chilling smirk upon the man's face. " You are my own little robot now, grandson."

Kai found himself shivering even more violently than before. He'd thought things couldn't possibly get worse than they'd been, but this… this was utter nightmare. His free will – the pretty much only thing he still had left – was now taken away from him.

Voltaire's smirk widened as the man saw the look of horror upon his face. " See what it took to make you perfect?" Something dark, almost crazy, flashed in the man's eyes. " Now you're finally mine."

Kai growled. " I'd kill myself first." The headache then attacked him again like a tidal-wave, and he fell to his knees, gritting his teeth and pressing his hands against his head as if that would've made the pain go away. " I… will _never_… be your toy."

Voltaire shook his head as he looked at his grandson, almost laughing. " Why do you keep struggling? Just let it take over, grandson. Make it easier on yourself."

Kai inhaled a deep breath though it hurt like hell, squeezing his eyes shut again. No. He wouldn't give up, for Dara and Dimitrei. He still had something to fight for, still had a reason to struggle.

" No", the whisper broke through his lips, and he bit his lip as the headache got even worse, making it almost impossible to resist the implants that waited for a new chance to take over.

He heard Voltaire snort, and opened his eyes, heart almost stopping with panic as a dark idea came to his mind. " 'No'?" Voltaire echoed mockingly, amusement in his eyes. " Still staying strong for that Dara of yours?" the man guessed. " Well, I can tell you, there is no reason to."

His eyes widened and he gulped, trembling much more violently than before. " What the hell are you saying?" His eyes got a shady of outraged magna. " Have you bastard done something to her?"

Smirking coldly, Voltaire leaned forward and whispered into his ear. " You are _never_ going to see her again."

* * *

TBC.

* * *

A/N: Oh geez! So Kai's a… cyborg now? Oh dear… Will he break down, or will the others find him on time?

'Until next time, _fellas_! Pleeeeeeeeaaaaaazeeeeeee, **review**!


	16. Broken wings, greatest sacrifice

A/N: I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaack! And I have a brand new chapter with me. (grins)

Once again, I thank from the bottom of my heart all those who've bothered to review! Do I even have to mention how precious you guys are?

Oooooooohhhhhh, about Dara's role… I afraid I can't give a lot without revealing too much. But let's say that this chapter explains where she was taken, and she won't be forgotten in future… (smirks cunningly)

Okay, okay, since I'm for once actually managing to write a short a/n, let's get on with the story, shall we? Hope u like.

(Btw, if you don't remember the phone-call that's the reason to the… tension between Tyson and Ray, check out the flashback in chapter 13 before starting with this one.)

* * *

CHAPTER 16: Broken wings, greatest sacrifice

When Tyson pushed his eyelids open with much effort, he felt cold shivers running through him when everything in his view remained pitch-black. " What the hell…?"

Blinking, unable to make himself move, the tried to figure out where he was, how he'd gotten into this place. But there was a soft, hypnotising sound waves in the background – one which would've calmed him, had it not brought another set of cold shivers – that made thinking impossible.

Eventually he pushed himself into a sitting position, slowly and carefully, fearing that his head might not be able to handle the movement, and gave a shuttering sigh of relief when there wasn't violent attack of nausea or spinning view.

Slowly getting up and looking around, he discovered with surprise that he was sitting on a beach, a very chilling one at that. The sky and horizon seemed dark, almost black, and thick, eerie mist lingered in the air, making it impossible to see too much ahead. The only light in this entire place was a distant, just faintly visible glow – almost like one from a lighthouse – somewhere so far ahead on the sea that he had no hope of ever reaching it. And just like everything else, the sea was also dark, threatening. The black waves that tried to catch his feet seemed hungry and unforgiving, ready to seal him into embrace he'd never get away from. Even the sand he was standing on held some dark shade of grey. Turning around, hoping that there'd be some way out of this place behind him, Tyson noticed that he had no such luck; huge cliff – so high that he could hardly see the sky from it – rose from the sand, entrapping him into this horrifying, almost cursed-like place.

Shivering, Tyson still looked around with slightly widened eyes. " What is this place?" he gave a faint whisper.

Suddenly he felt that he wasn't alone. Frowning, he turned his head – and gasped as he saw a familiar figure standing nearby the water, almost like considering walking into the awaiting, hungry waves. " K – Kai…?" Not thinking for another second, he rushed like a madman towards the dual-hared boy and threw his arms around the taller teen, embracing the boy with all the longing he'd been feeling for months. " Oh my gosh, you have no idea of how much I've missed you!" It wasn't until then he noticed that Kai wasn't returning his hug; in fact, the boy was shivering violently against him. Frowning, he broke the embrace and looked at Kai, finding widened auburn eyes filled with something close to fear. His frown deepened. " What's wrong? Did I hurt you?"

Gasping, Kai took a couple of steps back, still shivering. " You… you can't be here… Unless…" The Russian's lips still moved, but no words could be heard.

Tyson felt almost panicked. " Kai, what's wrong?" he demanded. " What… what is this place?" And as he spoke, he all of a sudden noticed that he could see his breath, and had to wrap his arms around himself as it was suddenly very cold, freezing. " What's going on?"

Kai's eyes were widened. " Tyson, you have to get out of here, before he gets your soul too." And just as Kai had spoken, eerie, chilling laughter echoed through the horrifying beach.

Tyson shook his head vehemently. " Kai, no!" he protested. " I don't know what the hell is going on, but I'm not leaving you here!"

Kai's eyes flashed. " Get out of here when you still can!" the boy repeated his previous command.

It became even colder, and Tyson found himself shivering. He still shook his head determinedly, not willing to leave Kai alone into that horrible place. " No!"

Kai's eyes were filled with something undetectable, something Tyson had never seen in them before. " Tyson, you have no idea of what this place can do", the boy told him, by then look of utter worry and terror in his eyes. " Get out here, _NOW_!"

* * *

In his bed, Tyson snapped his eyes open and took many deep breaths, trying to overcome the vivid dream. What the heck had just happened? Was it really just a dream? Gosh, it had felt so real… His eyes were stinging as he could almost feel Kai in his arms. " Was it really you?" he whispered to the shadows, but got no answer.

After thinking about it for a second, he pushed himself up, got dressed and headed out of the room, deciding that he needed some fresh air to clear his head.

Unbeknownst to Tyson, Dragoon (on his nightstand) and Dranzer (in Ray's carefully guarded pocket) glowed for another small moment before returning to normal.

* * *

Meanwhile one of Voltaire's doctors entered Kai's cell to run some tests, two of Voltaire's strongest guards escorting her to guarantee her safety. As she pushed a thick needle into the almost unconscious boy's arm to take a blood-sample, she could hear him mutter a single slurred word through unnaturally deep, drugged sleep. " Thy-sonh…"

* * *

In the room he'd been given from the BBA-headquarters (where Mr. D had roomed the gang), Max was having yet another phone-conversation with Jax. " _Are you still scared?_" the boy asked.

Laying on his bed, Max gave a deep sigh, letting his eyes slip shut. " Yeah", he admitted quietly, reliving all that had happened during the past months. " Me and Tyson… There's so much mess that I don't even know where to begin… Our team is just one big freakin' mess with Tyson and Ray not talking. And Kai…" A tear slid to his cheek without him noticing it. " He's been in that hell for so long, I… I'm scared of finding out what that's done to him, that the Kai I knew is gone for good." He opened his glittering eyes, meeting complete darkness. " I just wish it would be possible to turn back time, you know? Get things back to normal."

" _I know what you mean_", Jax replied silently. " _When Alex got shot and I couldn't do anything but hold him when he died…_" The boy trailed off, Max heard a muffled sniff. " _I would give all I have and more to get back into that moment and push him out of that bullet's way._"

Max felt a sharp jolt of quilt. " Jax… I'm sorry", he said softly. " I mean… Let's face it, I haven't exactly been the greatest possible friend lately. All I've been doing is babbling about my own stupid problems when you're hurting too."

" _It's okay_", Jax assured him. " _It's been good to be able to think about something else. Besides, at least I don't feel completely helpless anymore when I can help you out._"

A small smile came to Max's lips. " 'Suppose you're right."

Jax laughed. " _Of course I am, aren't I always?_" There was a long silence, during which Max could almost feel the other boy gathering his courage. " _Look, Max… I know everything's a mess right now – for both of us – but… I can't stop thinking about that kiss we had, and… I'd like to know if it meant anything._"

Max squeezed his eyes tightly shut, feeling pain tug his heart. " Jax, I… I'm sorry, but…" His mouth opened helplessly several times, but no more words would come out.

" _You still love Tyson, don't you?_" Jax asked, voice soft.

Max sighed, brushing the owl-necklace Tyson had given him with his fingertips. " I… I just don't know anymore." He sighed again, more heavily this time, and closed his eyes. " I wish I knew, so I could just move on."

" _Max, it's alright. I don't want to push you into anything before you're sure_", Jax told him, voice filled with sincerity and certainty.

Max gave a breath of relief. " Thanks. It's not that I wouldn't… like you, but… It would be unfair to us both, you know?"

Jax gave a small laughter. " _Max, there's really no need to explain. Besides, I'm not so sure if I'm ready for anything… like that myself just yet._" There was a small, comfortable silence. " _I'll call you tomorrow, 'k?_"

Max smiled. " 'K. Goodnight."

Hanging up, Max stared at the ceiling, subconsciously fingering the necklace Tyson had given him, deep frown of confusion upon his face.

So deep in his thoughts he was that he startled when there was a knock on his door. Pushing himself into a sitting position, he looked at the door. " Yeah?" He frowned once again when Nadja came in, weird look in her eyes. " What's going on?"

" The police has found something", she replied.

* * *

Meanwhile in the most deserted part of Russia, Dara felt the breathtaking coldness of Siberia even in her bones as she banged the bars of her cell with all her might. " Boris, you bastard! Let me out of here!" she screamed with a voice of deranged wild animal.

Realizing the ridiculousness of her actions, she gave a loud hiss and whirled around, investigating if there was some way – any way – out while wrapping her arms around herself, shivering. It was so cold that she could barely breathe, as Boris had given her nothing but the thin Biovolt-uniform to wear and the temperature had dropped below –104 Fahrenheit. It was obvious that she couldn't escape through a window; there was only one of those in her cell, small and close to the roof (too high to be reached with climbing), and there were bars covering it. Besides, even if she had gotten out, it would've meant death for sure; as far as she knew, the nearest village was miles away, and as it was night, temperature kept dropping by the second. And even if she in some miraculous way would've managed to save herself, there was no way Dimitrei could've made it outside – assuming she would even find him from the maze of hallways. She hadn't seen Dimitrei for three days, and the only thing she knew was that Boris was going to run some experiments on him.

She was unable to keep her thoughts collected anymore, as frustration and tiredness took over. (Boris hadn't allowed her to have an eyeful of sleep since she'd been taken away from the mansion.) Her mind immediately drifted off to Kai, and she could barely suppress her tears.

_What did those bastards do to you?_ She squeezed her eyes tightly shut. _Gosh, I just wish I could be there with you…_

Giving in under pain and frustration, she cursed loudly in Russian, then jumped as there was a cold laughter behind her cell-door. Whirling around with blazing eyes, she growled when seeing Boris' face behind bars. " Getting frustrated, are we?" he asked in a toneless voice.

Her eyes squinted to slits. " What did you pieces of shit do to Kai and Dimitrei?" she hissed.

Boris arched an eyebrow, amused. " My, my, getting hostile, are we? I wouldn't do that if I were you; after all, Dimitrei's wellbeing is in your hands." With that he turned around, beginning to walk away. " Oh, and Kai? Well… Let's just say that he'll never be the boy you used to know again."

Losing the last bits of her self-control, she graphed the bars, hoping that she could've crushed them with sheer power of will. " I _will_ get out of here, asshole, you'll see. And that day, you will pay dearly for all you've done."

Almost out of the door that led into cell-section, Boris turned his head and looked at her. " I don't think it's a very smart idea to attempt escape, niece."

Her eyes squinted again. " What are you talking about?"

He opened the door. " Because the exact second you get out of that cell of yours, I'll call Voltaire and Kai will go through a hell worse than you could imagine even in your darkest nightmares. And after I've hung up, I'll shoot a bullet into Dimitrei's skull." With that he closed the door behind him.

For a long moment Dara stared at the door, squeezing the bars so tightly that her knuckles turned white, and shivering under utter rage unlike anything she'd ever felt before. Eventually she threw her head back and screamed at the top of her lungs.

* * *

With most of the others asleep and Tala in somewhere private with Nadja, Ray stood on the balcony of Russian BBA-headquarters, holding Kai's pendant he hadn't been able to return to the boy, watching the stars with vacant eyes. He didn't even notice his exhaustion as he was having yet another night without any sleep.

As time passed, he couldn't help wondering what staying under Voltaire's hand for so long would do to Kai – assuming that the boy was still alive. Deep in his heart, he feared that even though they'd eventually get Kai out of that hell, the Russian would never be the same. He remembered all too well the nightmare-filled nights Kai had begun to have after his last visit to Voltaire's 'care', and that once Kai wasn't there for that long. This time… The influence would be ten times harder. And he feared that no matter how strong Kai was, the boy might never recover.

" Seems like I'm not the only one who's having disturbing dreams", Tyson's voice suddenly startled him out of his thoughts. Turning his head, he saw the boy standing a couple of steps from him with cautious, searching look in his eyes; it was obvious that they had a lot of sorting out to do after everything that had been said and done.

Shaking his head, he returned his gaze to the stars. " This isn't about dreams", he said in a strange, deep voice, with his gaze finding a particularly bright star. " Dranzer was being restless."

" Oh…"

For a long moment they stood in rather uncomfortable silence, both knowing what needed to be said but neither brave enough to do it. Eventually, Tyson spoke, so quietly that the words almost disappeared into cruelly biting night-wind. " Ray… You can just punch me if you want to."

It wasn't much of an apology, but Ray knew Tyson well enough to know that it was meant to be one. A small smile begun to play on his lips. " I've never believed that violence could actually sort out anything." He bowed his head, staring at his toes. " Besides… I think we're even when it comes to hurting each other."

He could almost see Tyson blinking his eyes in surprise. " Really?" the smaller boy managed to utter after a long silence, such overwhelming relief in his voice that it melted Ray's heart. Apparently, Tyson had been needing this conversation – his absolution – for a long, long time – just like he had.

His smile widened slightly as he nodded slowly. " Really."

Another silence – this time comfortable, almost companionable – fell over them as both drifted into their thoughts. As always, it was Tyson who spoke first. " Ray… There's something I've been wanting to ask you."

" Hn?"

" Back when you and Alissa went to China, to your home-village… What were you doing there? I mean… After all that happened between you and Mariah, I thought you'd never go back there."

Ray's eyes squinted slightly at the memories he was far from proud of. Memories of great moment of weakness…

* * *

/ _Sitting on a rooftop of the house he and Alissa were currently staying in, Ray couldn't help wondering how different stars looked there in China than anywhere else, so much brighter…_

_" Feels like coming back home, doesn't it?" suddenly came a voice from right beside him, startling him. Turning his head, he found Mariah sitting next to him, also admiring the stars. " Where's your shadow?" she then asked, referring to Alissa._

_Ray felt slight boiling in his veins. " Alissa is sleeping", he replied, insinuatingly emphasizing the name. He then frowned, returning his gaze to the enchanting stars. " What are you doing here, anyway? I thought you wanted nothing to do with me."_

_Mariah seemed to ignore his biting tone. " I heard you and Lee talking earlier. I know how… tense things are between you and Tyson", she replied, then looked at him, golden eyes reflection the light stars provided. " Ray, don't you understand that the Bladebreakers isn't the team you belong to – especially now that Kai's…" She kept a short pause, during which she subtly slipped her hand into his. " You've suffered so much since the day you joined them; I can see it in your eyes, and it hurts me. That's why I left you – I can't stand seeing the ones I care about getting hurt."_

_Feeling light shivers as his skin still reacted to her touch, Ray frowned, not looking at her. " Then where do you think I belong?"_

_" With us, into this village", Mariah told him in a gentle tone. With me, both of them knew she silently added. " Ray, none of us would ever wound you, we would never betray you."_

_Snorting, he finally looked at her. " And with what logic did you figure I would want to betray my team and return to you?"_

_Smiling, she looked into his eyes. " Don't you see how you always end up coming here, to us, when you need support?" she pointed out. With that she got up, letting his hand slip from hers. " Think about it, Ray. You can't keep lying to yourself forever." And so she walked away._

_As Ray again looked back to the stars, almost like searching for answers, he realized that once again, his heart was torn in two._ /

* * *

Two days after that conversation, Mr. D had called and told that Max was seriously ill, making Ray and Alissa return to Japan. As much as Ray would've liked to think otherwise, if it wasn't for that one phone-call, he wasn't sure if he'd ever left his home-village, for just now he truly understood which team he belonged to – and who really had his heart. " Back in China… I almost made the biggest mistake in my entire life", he murmured with darkened eyes.

Tyson frowned at the cryptic answer, and was about to ask what he meant when approaching panting interrupted him. Turning their heads, they saw Kenny rushing towards them, the boy seemed like he might collapse at any moment.

" Where's the fire, Chief?" Tyson asked.

Through the pants, Kenny managed to form something audible. " They… found… something…"

* * *

'In pain' would've been a huge understatement in defining Kai's state as he had slumped into the corner of his cell, just awake enough to feel all the ache attacking him. There, knees pressed against his chest and arms wrapped protectively around them, forehead leaning against the knees, he felt like falling apart, dying. He was shivering like a leaf, which was – along with the quiet sobs – the only sign of life he'd shown since he'd somewhat woken up.

The cyber implants were growing stronger, he could feel it with every soul in his body. Such a long and hard fight he'd gone through, so many people he'd loved dead because they'd been trying to protect him, and now… It seemed that he was losing. How could he ever fight this, resist something that was attacking him with such overwhelming power?

He couldn't take it anymore, he just couldn't. He'd gone through so much, suffered a hell, but this passed his endurance.

What Voltaire had suggested kept ringing in his ears, suddenly sounding more than tempting.

* * *

/ _Voltaire showed him a needle, filled with purple-reddish liquid. " This injection can erase all your memories, all pain, grandson. Accept it, and you'll never hurt again. This is the only way out."_ /

* * *

_The only way… All pain away…_

How could he reject something like that, something so blissful?

He couldn't live with his pain any longer; it was killing him, eating him up inside. Would he not be able to escape, there'd be nothing left of him.

Besides, what did he have to lose? Pretty much everyone he loved was gone, dead – and it was all his fault. Who did he have to fight for? He wasn't strong enough to fight just for himself, not anymore. And all the guilt… It was crushing the little there was left of him.

Tired… He was so tired of the pain and guilt, the fighting.

God, it hurt so much, too much! He couldn't take it anymore. He was falling apart – inside and out – and that injection was the only thing that could help him get himself back together again. It was his only chance for salvation.

But… No… He'd sworn to himself and all those he cared about that he'd never work for his grandfather again. They'd died trusting on that promise, and he couldn't stand the idea that they'd died in vain.

He had to fight, just for a little bit longer. For those he'd lost, and for those who were still alive. Because if Voltaire would succeed… No one would be safe. It would mean the end of the world as we know it.

He wouldn't let that happen. Not as long as there was even one breath of life left in him.

The door of his cell opened, and as he opened his pain-filled, weary eyes, he saw Voltaire stood by the doorway. " Have you made up your mind?" the man asked.

He gave a low growl. " I will never work for you, you piece of shit, no matter what implants you put into me", he hissed, eyes flashing.

Voltaire's eyes flashed as well, and before he even registered the man was moving, the elder was at his side and punched him so hard that his head jerked sideways. " That, my grandson, was a very, very stupid decision to make." Their gazes met, both burning, both unwavering. " I gave you a chance to take that injection the easy way, but now that you are too stupid to take it…" The man's eyes squinted. " Let's make the stakes a bit higher, grandson. If you take the injection, Dara will be free, completely. I will never bother her again."

Kai's head snapped up, his eyes flaming with hatred no written word could ever describe. " What!" he gasped in disbelief. Was Voltaire actually sinking this low?

" And if you don't…", Voltaire continued, ignoring him. " … she dies." Their eyes met, Voltaire's soulless and cold, Kai's filled with loathing that came from somewhere deep within him. " So, grandson, the decision is yours. Which one is more precious to you; your memories – or Dara's life?"

For a long time Kai stared at his grandfather in rage and disbelief, shivering from abhorrence. There was no other choice, he realized. He couldn't make Dara pay the price of his decisions. His head fell in defeat, eyes slid shut. " Alright", he almost whispered. If this was the price he had to pay for Dara's life, he'd pay it. He'd sacrifice anything for the one that meant more to him than anyone else.

Voltaire gave a sound of contentment. " Very good. You made a smart decision", the man told him. " Mihaelov, Tradski, take him."

Kai's eyes then squinted to slits as two men came inside, approaching him. He glared at his grandfather. " You'll pay for this", he snarled through gritted teeth. Just then the men were at his side. As the other held him still with the aid of Voltaire, the other took out a needle and plunged it roughly onto the back of his neck. " Ungh!"

His vision begun to go blurry as Voltaire looked at him, smiling coldly. " Go back to sleep, grandson", the man told him, brushing his cheek. " We'll take good care of you." His world turned black.

* * *

Tyson, Ray and Kenny were all panting heavily by the time they reached the office where Mr. Dickinson and the now familiar officer – Vladimir Gradski – were waiting for them. The rest of the gang was already there waiting for them, anxiety and impatience written all over their faces.

" Well?" Tyson blurted out, wanting answers at that instant.

" Well, we searched through the area, and found this one building that seems promising", Gradski announced, sounding both pleased and irritated, as he hadn't gotten the idea on his own.

He received many bewildered looks. " What!"

" It's an old mansion. We've assumed for years that it's been abandoned, but apparently we were mistaken."

Tala smirked. " Sounds just like Voltaire's style."

" The guy clearly has a thing for creepy old mansions", Bryan remarked.

Ray felt his blood boiling with anxiousness, every fibre of his being wanted to rush into action at that instant. " Do you think Kai and Dara are there?"

Gradski shrugged. " There is no way of knowing before we go and take a look. We need to go and search through the place."

" Then why are we still sitting here, wasting time?" Nadja bit out, a flash in her eyes.

" Yeah!" Tyson joined, feeling adrenaline taking him over. " What are we waiting for! Let's go and save them!"

* * *

TBC.

* * *

A/N: Uuuuuuuuuuaaaaaaaah! The plot really thickens, huh? So… Will the guys find Kai before his memory is erased? And what about everyone else?

Stick around! And **PLEASE** review, you know how much it means to me. (gives puppy-dog eyes)


	17. Memento

A/N: Oh yes, I managed to write down another chapter! 'Hope you're all still sticking around.

Once again, thank you from the deepest bottom of my heart to those who've considered this story worth of review! You have no idea of how much those words of yours mean to my ego.

(Btw, it was indeed very satisfying to see Tala outsmarting that annoying Vladimir Gradski, wasn't it?)

Okay, before I'll go all mushy and stuff, let's get on! You'll find out if Kai gets to keep his memories…

WARNING: If you already hate Voltaire (which I hope you all do; otherwise you wouldn't be human), the flashback you're about to read will make you want to throw up. Seriously. I almost cried and felt sick when writing it, so… It's just heartbreaking.

* * *

CHAPTER 17: Memento

/ _Beaten up so badly that there didn't seem to be even one part in his body that wouldn't hurt, twelve-years-old Kai was on his all-fours on a filthy, bloody stone-floor. He tried desperately to fight against tears of pain and desperation as he knew that the torment was far from over. He only thanked God his head was bowed so the monster watching him didn't see the escaping silent tears._

_From not too far away, Voltaire watched his grandson with disgust and rage darkened eyes. If there was anything he hated more than weakness, it was the things he couldn't own. And as he watched the boy before him, he most certainly knew that Kai was not yet his – there was still that annoying, undying fire in his burgundy eyes that screamed out the soul behind them wasn't tamed. But that was about the change… " So, grandson, you decided to attempt escape with that… Dara, did you not?" His voice was even and cold, dangerous. " That was a very, very stupid thing to do. And I will make sure it won't happen ever again."_

_Forcing his head up with much effort, Kai glared at Voltaire with venomous eyes. Those infuriating, passionate phoenix's eyes the man hated more than anything, because the fire in them would never belong to him. " There's nothing more you can do to me, bastard", Kai hissed._

_He gave a wicked sneer. " Oh, grandson, we'll see about that…"_

_And before Kai could make another move, Voltaire was on top of him, eyes gleaming with something he'd never seen in them before – lust and hunger. A gasp of surprise and frighten escaped him when he felt something hard against his knee. " What… the hell… are you doing?" With all his might he tried to push the elder away. But even with the hellish training he'd received, Voltaire was just too big, too strong._

_" What does it look like?" Voltaire growled huskily. A strangled wheeze escaped him when Voltaire ripped his shirt open, and he begun to realize what was about to happen. Hearing the muffled sound, Voltaire slapped him hard, almost making him black out. Kai's eyes widened with sheer horror as he saw the man take out a knife. " Shut up, brat, or this will hurt much more…"_

_Uncontrollable tears of pain escaped Kai as Voltaire agonizingly started to work on his body, as if he'd been a sheet of empty canvas the man was now painting on. With his mouth and knife the man made his marks – smaller and bigger – going through all of him from face to legs. All the time the man's hoarse whispers came into his ears, imprinting into his darkest nightmares. " Mine… All mine…"_

_Tears of indescribable pain, rage and desperation rolled down Kai's cheeks as he realized that there was nothing he could do to stop Voltaire. But the hurt from his painful bites and stabs was nothing compared to the one caused by knowledge that he was now marked as Voltaire's property – the scars he now received would never let him forget that._

_His eyes were still squeezed tightly shut, tears leaking through them, when Voltaire finally stopped making his marks – after for how long time, he had no idea, but it'd felt like longer than forever. Tears begun to roll even harder when he heard the man pull down his own pants, then felt the sweaty hands roaming around his black ones. An inaudible whisper of protest escaped him, as he helplessly fought back to save the last of his purity. " Please… No…"_

_Loud, heartbreaking scream of utter defeat and pain – much more emotional than physical – ran through the hallways of the Abbey as Voltaire made the final, ultimate sign of ownership, stealing away the last pure thing Kai had left._

_And that night, feeling all his dignity becoming stripped away from him, Kai decided that he'd never let anyone touch him again, hurt him. No one would ever make him feel that filthy and used again._ /

* * *

In that same, familiar chilling room again, Kai woke up and found himself tightly tied into a small, uncomfortable bed as Voltaire, fours guards and two doctors were fussing around him.

Noticing that he was awake, Voltaire walked up to him with a cruel smile. " How very nice of you to join us, grandson", the man said in a casual voice. Kai felt shivers of indescribable disgust going through him as the man's hand stroke his hair. The hand that was the reason to why he hated being touched… " Don't worry, there shouldn't be as many complications as last time; our doctors have been working very, very hard to improve the serum."

Kai heard an almost inhuman, incensed growl, and it took him a while to realize that the noise was actually coming from him. " I will make you suffer for this, you piece of shit", he spat through gritted teeth.

Voltaire seemed amused. " Oh, I don't think so", the man told him. " With the lack of memories and cyber implants keeping you nicely under control, you'll be absolutely no threat to me. Actually, in a matter of hours, you'll be my loyal servant – which is what you should have been from the begin with." So saying, the elder turned around, walking to the edge of the room to give the doctors space to work. " Just relax, grandson. This will all be over soon."

After a small while, another one of the doctors came to Kai, holding a needle. " You won't experience any pain", the doctor explained in a monotonous voice, like he'd been speaking to an object. " When the serum begins to work, you'll fall unconscious. Once you wake up, you'll have no recollection of your life whatsoever. Your skills, however – such as speaking, walking and the languages you've learned – will still be in place."

Just then, looking at the needle, Kai remembered why Voltaire hadn't used this option sooner. The last time he'd received that injection, when he'd just turned thirteen, it had almost killed him. He'd had an extremely high fever for what seemed like forever, plus nausea and a headache that had almost driven him crazy. Eventually he'd been given many, many more injections and pills that only made him feel worse, and in the end he'd wished that he'd just died of the first injection.

_Oh shit… No…_

Last time, the experience had been almost more than he could take. He… he couldn't go through it again, just couldn't…

Eyes widening without him noticing it, he looked at the doctor. " Please… Don't do it…"

Ignoring him, the man looked at Voltaire, and after receiving an accepting nod stuck the needle roughly into his arm, injecting the serum.

Kai gulped, realizing that there was no escape anymore.

_Oh my gosh…_

And then everything went from blurry to black.

* * *

In a break of new day, three cars made their way towards the old mansion. Two patrol-cars were followed by Mr. Dickinson's limousine.

All past differences were pushed aside for the time being as Ray, Alissa, Tala and Bryan had squeezed themselves into the same patrol-car's backseat. Usually, Ray and Bryan would've probably been at each other's throats, but now their thoughts were so filled with other things that they hardly noticed each other's presence.

When Alissa saw the almost haunted look in Ray's glazed eyes as the boy stared out the window, she decided that she'd have to say something. She placed a comforting hand onto his shoulder. " Ray", she whispered, so quietly that the other two boys (who were talking in Russian) couldn't hear. " Everything's gonna work out, you know? This nightmare will end soon."

Ray gave an agonised sigh, not looking at her. " Gosh, I hope so", he replied in a small, shaky voice. " This has been going on for so long…"

Not knowing what else to do to ease his anguish, she leaned her forehead against his back, subconsciously rubbing his back with one hand.

Realizing what Alissa was trying to do, Ray felt a small smile making its way to his tense face. Ever so gently he took Alissa's free hand and squeezed it tenderly, saying everything he wanted to without needing words. His smile widened slightly as Alissa returned to squeeze in sign of understanding.

Comfortable silence lingered between them from thereon as they drifted into their own thoughts, both wondering what that rising new day would bring…

* * *

In the second, smaller car, Kenny was furiously working with Dizzi to keep himself distracted from thinking of what was to come.

Not too far away from him, Tyson and Max sat in uncomfortable silence, staring at their hands. Both would've wanted to do or say something – anything – to ease other's pain, but after all that had happened between them, they were far from the state where they could calm and comfort each other.

Eventually, seeing the moist slowly but surely gathering into Max's blue eyes, Tyson decided that he _had to_ do something. After long hesitation, he carefully reached out a hand and gently took Max's, giving it a small squeeze. Max immediately gave him a look of utter surprise and suspicion, most likely wondering if the gesture was another plead for something more. When meeting nothing but unconditional worry and pain in Tyson's eyes, his expression melted and he gradually returned the squeeze.

No words were offered or even needed as they drifted back into their own thoughts, still holding hands. And for a first time in months, Tyson didn't have to wonder if Max was thinking about him or Jax; the boy was most certainly thinking about neither.

* * *

Back in the mansion, Voltaire and another one of the doctors looked on as unconscious Kai trashed and turned from side to side, cold sweat glimmering on his forehead.

" It'll be completed soon", the doctor informed, no emotions showing in the tone.

" I know." Voltaire's eyes flashed in disappointment as he noticed one of the drops on Kai's cheek being something else than sweat.

Both turned their heads in surprise when the door of the room suddenly opened, and a guard stepped in, seeming anxious. " Sir, one of your associates just called. The Bladebreakers and their friends are on their way here – and they have an army of cops with them."

Voltaire gave a loud growl of irritation, eyes darkening. " Prepare the car, and make sure everyone gets out of here before those idiots show up. I'm leaving with Kai as soon as he wakes up", he ordered through clenched teeth.

As the guard left with obedient nod, Voltaire turned his head towards the doctor. " You may leave as well, I will call you if you are needed."

" Yes, sir." With that, the doctor was gone, leaving Voltaire alone with his grandson.

A cruel smile crossed Voltaire's features. " At last it has happened", he murmured, looking at Kai's pained face. " You're finally all mine."

* * *

All memories were quickly flashing in Kai's hazy mind, showing up for one last time before disappearing. With each and every loss, it felt like a part of him had painfully been cut off.

/ _His parents' death._ /

/ _He, trying desperately to protect Nadja._ /

/ _Voltaire beating him._ /

/ _His first encounter with Tala and the other Demolition Boys in the Abbey._ /

/ _His first kiss with Dara._ /

/ _Ivan's death._ /

/ _His memories being erased in the exactly same way as now, all the pain._ /

/ _His first battle with Tyson, the Dragon's shock over losing._ /

/ _Tyson defeating him._ /

/ _He and Ray sitting on a rooftop, silently watching the stars._ /

/ _He and Max facing each other in a battle._ /

/ _Kenny with Dizzi._ /

/ _Black Dranzer, all the events that took place at Lake Baikal._ /

/ _He, destroying the Abbey._ /

As Kai watched the memories drift by, he suddenly realized that he had to do something. He had to stop this from happening. If he'd lose his memories now, in that place… he'd lose his soul.

_NO!_

With all his might, he rose up against the affect of the serum, praying that it wasn't too late, that not everything was lost.

And he found himself holding on to one particular memory. Yet deep in his heart, he already knew it would soon be lost as well. " Dara… Forgive me…"

_

* * *

_

_/ On the edge of a beautiful, huge lake, twelve-years-old Kai and Dara sat in comfortable silence, enjoying the early morning of rather warm summer-day, and the momentary sense of absolute freedom._

_A couple of hours ago, just before morning-training, they had miraculously managed to escape from the Abbey, only to notice that they had no place to go. It would've been no use running around Moscow, as they would've most likely only get into trouble, and Voltaire seemed to own half of the city. Police was also not an option, as they would never believe the story of two shabby runaway kids. So – in lack of any other place to go – they had found this beautiful lake at the edge of the city._

" _Kai… How long do you think it takes before Voltaire finds us?" Dara finally asked, not looking at him._

_Kai's eyes darkened. " I don't know. I suppose it's only a matter of time." All of a sudden, a smile – small one, but a smile nevertheless – came to his features. " But at least we've got this day."_

_Slowly, Dara's face lit into a smile as well, and she nodded. " Yeah. One perfect day out of that hell." She held a small pause. " You know… I've been having dreams about ocean… In those dreams I always sail away from Voltaire and Boris, get a new life far away from them."_

" _Perhaps one day you will", Kai replied softly._

" _Perhaps." She looked at him. " But until then… we'll have this one day. There's no way Voltaire could ever take this away from us."_

_Kai nodded, and for a long while they sat without speaking. Suddenly Dara felt something on her hand, and as she looked down, she noticed Kai's fingers slowly, cautiously, linking with hers. Smiling widely, she gave his hand a soft squeeze._

_That same night Voltaire's men found them, and they were taken back into the Abbey – where Kai was forced through something he'd never recover from… _/

* * *

Voltaire watched as Kai opened his eyes five minutes later. The boy blinked furiously, staring at the ceiling, obviously trying to gather his thoughts.

" Good morning, Kai", he greeted. " Grandson."

Slowly, the boy's burgundy eyes turned towards him.

* * *

A couple of minutes later, the vehicles that had been approaching the mansion reached their destination and parked.

" Find Voltaire Hiwatari and Boris Balkov, and bring them out, dead or alive. Understood?" officer Vladimir Gradski (that had became the most familiar to the teens) ordered his men, who obeyed instantly, preparing their guns.

" What about Kai and Dara?" Tyson protested.

Gradski, who was just about to run into the building himself, turned and looked at them with solemn, annoyed eyes. " We'll do as much as we can to find them, but I can't make any promises." His gaze became stern. " Just stay out of the way." With that, he ran off.

Looking at his distancing back, the gang decided that his pledge to do his best was far from enough. Making sure that Mr. Dickinson (who was talking to his cell-phone in the limousine) couldn't see them, they sneaked in as well.

After searching for ten minutes, the gang came to conclusion that the place was just too huge. What made it even more difficult to find Kai were the various secret doors and hallways that led nowhere.

" I think we should split up", Ray eventually suggested. " We'll find nothing like this."

" I agree", Nadja stated in a tense, worry-laced voice. " We've gotta find Kai and Dara before that idiot Gradski gets them killed."

And so the gang was split into three; Tyson, Alissa and Kenny formed one team, Tala and Bryan the second and Ray, Nadja and Max the last. After swearing to be careful, they split up.

Walking through the shady, dark hallways, the members of third team felt cold shivers run down their spines. There was absolutely nothing covering the stonewalls – not even a single painting. That's why it was easy to see the patters moisture formed to the stone; some of them looked like animals – or rather diabolic beasts – others like tormented human faces, screaming mutely of pain they couldn't even imagine. Coldness could be sensed even in the core of their beings; the draft was so horrible that if they hadn't been wearing jackets, they would've frozen. And what was even more horrifying than the nature-made paintings on the walls were the sounds wind made as it circled in the dusty, filthy corners. It wasn't the usual, quietly whispering breeze that can be heard in every house in windy days of winter and autumn. No, this wind roared, screamed, sounding like it would've had a soul of its own; one that was in unimaginable pain, and was enraged over being trapped into the mansion. Some of the screams sounded just like they'd came from a human-being, and they couldn't help wondering if those voices belonged to those poor souls the master of the mansion had claimed. What enthroned the atmosphere was that the house was almost completely dark, and sinister, threatening shadows watched them from every wall and corner, almost like waiting for a perfect chance to strike.

They had some dark ideas of what might've happened inside the silent walls of that haunted-like mansion.

" Compared to this, the Abbey was a five-star hotel", Nadja whispered, looking at the creepy patterns decorating the walls with chills.

" I can't even imagine what goes on in a place like this", Max replied quietly, his eyes shocked. Having lived a protected, secured life, he couldn't have imagined such a horrifying place even in his worst nightmares.

" Sh!" Ray suddenly shushed them and stopped walking, seeming to listen carefully.

" What's wrong?" Max asked tensely, clenching his hands into tight fists, obviously preparing to fight.

And then he and Nadja heard it too. Steps were approaching, so near that there was no chance for them to hide.

" Crap", Nadja hissed, also preparing for a fight.

And then the steps stopped, they could see a figure standing in the shadows.

Ray's eyes squinted. " Show yourself!" he hissed.

All three gasped loudly as the figure obeyed. In the dim light shining through a small window, they could see Kai standing before them. The boy – though he was terribly beaten, and now had black shark-fins decorating his cheeks – seemed like his old self, but… Something had changed in his eyes. Before, they'd held this undying, untamed fire, but now… They seemed cold and metallic, almost inhuman – like there'd been no soul behind them.

" K – Kai…?" Nadja whispered, almost rushing towards her brother when his words froze her.

" Can I ask what you are doing here?" Kai asked in a cold, harsh tone, eyeing them suspiciously, eyes cold. " Do you realize that you are committing a break-in?"

Everyone could hear Ray's gulp. " W – What are you talking about? Don't you know us?"

Kai raised an eyebrow. " Why should I?"

The trio went speechless. This wasn't happening, couldn't be…

" Leave now, and I won't have to hurt you", Kai told them, eyes squinting dangerously.

Though his thoughts were a mess, Ray knew that there was one thing he could do to try and make Kai remember. Carefully, like the most fragile glass, he took out Dranzer, holding it out for Kai. His blood turned cold when he saw no reaction in Kai's eyes. " This belongs to you. She misses you, just like we all do." A small, distant part in the back of brain surprised when the blade didn't start to glow furiously, elatedly. It sounded weird and ridiculous even to himself, but he couldn't help wondering if Dranzer didn't recognize the closeness of her Master's soul.

For a long while Kai looked at the blade, and for a slight moment Ray was sure he'd take it. Instead, however, the Russian roughly shoved his hand away, giving him a threatening glare. " I have nothing to do with that pathetic blade _or_ you. Now leave."

But Ray wasn't finished. Putting Dranzer back into his pocket (feeling a stab of defeat in his chest), he took Kai's pendant off his neck instead. He firmly took Kai's hand (ignoring the boy's protest), closing the boy's fingers around the jewellery. It was almost impossible to hold back tears as he looked into Kai's eyes and saw nothing but coldness. " Take this, then. Perhaps it will help you remember."

Kai almost threw the necklace back to the boy, when he suddenly felt this… warmth is his chest he couldn't explain. Blinking, he looked at the jewellery, all of a sudden remembering a single sentence that seemed to have a meaning and affect of thousand words.

/ _" As long as we have these, we'll be together – and no one can ever break that bond."_ /

The others could hardly suppress gasps of surprise when Kai actually put the pendant around his neck, seeming like he was following some sort of a inner voice. He then looked at them with harsh, metallic eyes. " Now beat it. And if I'll ever see you again, you'll face the consequences." With that he brushed past them, ignoring their desperate, pleading looks.

For a while the three contemplated if they should try to stop him, but decided not to. The Kai they'd known would've never hurt them; heck, he would've protected them with his life. But this… this 'Kai'… most certainly wouldn't have hesitated to carry out his threats.

And so the frustrated and bewildered trio could do nothing but watch Kai walk away, wondering if they'd ever see him again.

* * *

TBC.

* * *

A/N: Oh… fuck! (Pardon my language, but I think you want to swear right now as well.) Will Kai get his memory back? What will Voltaire make him do?

'Hope I'll see you all next time. **PLEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAASEEEEEEEEE**, review!


	18. Touch of hope

A/N: Oh yeah, another chapter is finally done!

**Lady Of The Damned Land**, I once again have to give you a personal thank you! This is just amazing – no one's ever showed devotion like yours to anything I've written before! You have no idea of how much it means to me. (hugs you tightly)

Okay, without anything further, let's get on!

(Btw, there are two scenes from the actual series in this chapter. As I don't want to get sued, I've marked those with (!) )

* * *

CHAPTER 18: Touch of hope

**Two months later.**

Not a sign. Nothing.

It seemed like Kai Hiwatari had completely disappeared from the face of the Earth.

The small group was extremely worried, but above all frustrated. They'd came so close to getting Kai back, an inch from it. But now, the boy was further away from them than he'd ever been – both mentally and physically. Max – or Ray and Nadja, for that matter – would never forget the look in Kai's eyes when they faced him in that mansion. It had been so filled with steel and coldness, almost like they hadn't been looking into eyes of a human being at all. Had they not known better, they would've thought Kai's very soul had been taken away from him.

Despite furious searching, there hadn't been single trace of where Voltaire had taken Kai. So basically, there was nothing left to grasp on. Nothing that would've given them any hope of some day seeing their friend and team-captain again.

And once again, life had to move on, for it can never be stopped – although it was close to impossible for them to live like nothing had changed. All the frustrated group could do was try to live through one day at a time, and wait for the day Mr. Dickinson or Russian police would finally announce that at least something – anything – had been found.

Slowly getting out of math-class, Max felt a cold stab in his heart when his eyes once again fell to the empty desk beside his.

_Damnit, Tyson… Where are you?_

" Max?" the voice of his teacher's brought him back from his thoughts. Slowly turning his head, he saw the woman looking at him with worried hazel eyes. " Are you alright?"

Just like so many times during the past months, Max skilfully faked the smile that had in distant past came freely. " Yes, Mrs. Oidaba. I was just… thinking."

Nodding, still hesitant look in her eyes, the teacher went back to her papers. " Alright then." He had almost made it out of the door, when her voice stopped him. " Oh, and if you happen to see that team-mate of yours – Tyson Granger – would you tell him that he has a lot of catching up to do?"

Not looking at the woman, Max roughly bit his lip to keep tears from coming. " I will." So saying, he walked away as fast as he possibly could.

Walking through the school-doors, Max gave a heavy sigh of relief, closing his eyes for a moment to feel the wind softly caressing his face.

Pretending that nothing was wrong – living like nothing had changed and there wasn't anything missing – was getting harder by the day, it seemed.

Opening his eyes, he gave the first genuine smile that day when seeing Jax leaning onto the school-gate. Small smile still upon his face, he walked up to the boy. " You do know that you wouldn't have to come everyday and make sure I get home safely, right?"

Jax smirked. " Yeah, I suppose I do. But it's not like I would consider this a burden."

Giving a small laughter, Max allowed the boy to wrap his other arm around his slender waist, and leaned his head against the boy's leather-jacket covered shoulder. Both were oblivious to the huge amount of students staring at them and whispering.

Neither knew for how long they'd walked in comfortable silence, when Max spoke. " Tyson skipped school again." He knew that Jax didn't exactly appreciate talking about Tyson – especially with what had happened two weeks ago – but despite everything, Tyson was still one of the most important people in Max's life. If Jax wanted to be close to him, the boy had to accept that.

For a moment, he could feel Jax tense. But the muscles soon relaxed again, and he could've sworn the protective arm around him pulled him closer to Jax. It took for a moment before the boy spoke. " Max…" There was a short, doubting pause. " I hate seeing how Tyson hurts you every day – I care about you, and I can't stand seeing that pain in your eyes. So…" The boy gulped, and it wasn't until then Max noticed they'd stopped walking. Looking at Jax with a frown, he found the boy's green eyes filled with uncertainty. " Max, I'm moving to America in a month. And… I would like to have you there with me."

Max gasped, blue eyes widened with shock. " What?" he breathed out, then blinked to clear out his mangled thoughts. Exasperated sigh escaped him as he turned his head and stared at some spot in distance. " Jax… It's not that easy", he murmured. " I mean, my life is here in Japan now; school, friends, my team. I… I can't just leave them. And…" He had to fight against tears. " I can't leave until we've found Kai. I can't give up on him again."

Jax stroke his cheek gently, soothingly. " I'm not asking you to leave right away", the boy told him in a soft tone. " Oh course you'll help find Kai first. But after that…" Looking at Jax again, he found the boy's eyes filled with tenderness and hope. " Please, think about it. I know it's a huge decision to make, but… I think it would do you good to get away from here – at least for a while."

Listening to Jax's words, Max realized what he'd been trying to avoid thinking for months. His… relationship with Tyson had fallen apart, their team was falling apart because of he and Tyson's constant fighting, and heck, even _he_ was falling apart. He had nothing to lose. And therefore he gave a small nod, finding smile creeping up to his features. " I'll think about it", he promised.

* * *

Psychiatrist Reza Carrington – who was currently working in Japan to help out the group – was surprised when there was a quiet, hesitant knock on her office-door at nine pm. " Come in." The surprise turned into utter stun when the door was slowly pushed open, and she saw the person behind it. " Tyson?"

The boy… didn't look well at all. Even though Tyson had stubbornly refused to take any therapy-sessions, she still noticed that he'd gone alarmingly thin. His blue hair was a dishevelled mess, and his face unnaturally pale. There were huge black backs underneath his bloodshot eyes (evidence of many sleepless nights), and he looked like he'd been crying – a lot. There were also some stitched up wounds on his arms and face. On top of it all, he was drenched wet and shivering from the storm raging outside. " Can… can I talk to you?" he asked quietly, hesitance written all over his face.

She nodded, having no intention to turn the boy away from her door in that condition. " Of course." Looking at the boy take a seat on the couch, she frowned worriedly. " Tyson… What's wrong?"

The boy gave a bitter laughter. " How about everything?" Tyson shook his head, not looking at her, arms crossed over his chest. " I've messed up everything, and…" There was a small sob, a soul tear could be seen on the boy's cheek. " My grandpa and Mr. Dickinson told me to come and see you."

" Do you know why?"

Tyson nodded, still refusing to look at her. " I… Something… bad happened two weeks ago… I did something _very_ stupid…"

* * *

/ _After over four month's break, the Bladebreakers decided that it was time to continue practising – even though it was almost unbearably painful with Kai missing. Only the fact that wherever Kai was, he would've wanted them to practise kept them going._

_First time in months, it was just the remaining team-members present as they gathered to Max's backyard. Everyone immediately noticed that something more than Kai's spirit was missing; with the noticeable tension between Tyson and Max, it seemed that the few remaining drops of their team-spirit seeped away. _

" _This is seriously not good", Kenny announced darkly from behind his laptop after several practise-matches. " You're all in a need of serious practising."_

" _Four months without training does no good", Dizzi bleeped._

" _How the heck are we supposed to practise even more?" Tyson growled irritably. " I mean, with trying to help track down Voltaire and Kai plus school, we're busy enough as it is!"_

" _Tyson, Chief's right", Ray noted patiently. " If we won't get on with practising, we'll be worse than we were when beginning as professionals."_

_Tyson was just about to respond with frustration-poisoned words, when there were sounds of steps from sidewalk, and the gate of the yard was pushed open. Never before had Tyson's blue eyes held the look they did when Jax appeared into view. " Um… Am I interrupting something?"_

" _Hell yeah", Tyson bit out before anyone got the chance to stop him. " In case you haven't noticed, we're practising. So…"_

" _Tyson, zip it", Max growled with a warning glance, then looked at Jax. " I think we should go."_

_At that moment, all his bottled-up emotions – guilt, frustration, jealousy, anger – became too much for Tyson. " No way!" he shouted. Again, no one had a chance to prevent approaching disaster when he was up from his bench, fists forming tight balls. " Max, you're not skipping a practise-session, especially now when we need it so much!" Eyes squinting challengingly, he looked at Jax. " And particularly not because of him."_

" _Tyson…"_

_Max was about to shed out exactly how he felt about Tyson's behaviour, when Jax interrupted him with a shake of head. " No, I'll stand up for myself." Green eyes flaming, the older boy walked up to Tyson. " Look, I don't know what your problem is. I know you and Max have a history, but that's long gone. You had your chance then, but you blew it. So leave him – us both – alone, okay?"_

_If Tyson had been on the edge of losing his temper before, those words shattered the last of his self-control. " Who the hell do you think you are, speaking to me like that?" he roared, hands shivering with rage. Before anyone – including Tyson himself – saw it coming, his fist met Jax's cheek. " I think it's Max's own decision who he wants to keep close to him! He doesn't need you to think for him!"_

_Eyes burning, Jax returned the punch. " I told you to leave us alone!"_

" _Tyson, Jax, stop it!" others called out in horror, but the couple was oblivious to them._

_Growling, Tyson graphed the taller boy's collar and punched him again – but this time, with much more dramatic results. Screams of terror could be heard from behind them when Jax's balance broke, and the two fell through sliding glass-door that led into living room, smashing it to pieces. Both two gave growls of pain when glass pierced skin, and Jax yelped when he fell onto the thousands pieces of broken glass, Tyson landing heavily on top of him. Both were bleeding as they looked into each other's burning eyes, not even noticing the various deep, painful wounds they'd both received. _

" _Oh my gosh…"_

" _Are you guys okay?"_

_The two didn't even hear the others' terrified voices. Eyes squinting – still blinded by the overwhelming burst of emotions he was going through – Tyson once again raised one of his slightly bloodied fists. But the fist suddenly froze, just an inch from Jax's face, and his eyes widened as he realized what he'd been doing. " Oh my God…"_

_As fast as he possibly could with trembling, weak legs, Tyson pushed himself up, ready to run away. His escape-route was, however, blocked by Ray, who looked at him with worried eyes. " Ty, are you okay?"_

_Unable to form words as his mouth had gone very dry all of a sudden, Tyson moved his head just a little – and felt his heart shatter as he saw Max standing a small distance away. There was a mixture of sadness, disappointment and anger in the boy's eyes. And at that moment – even though there were less than ten steps between them – Max seemed to be further from him than ever before. And that was a thought he couldn't stand anymore._

" _Tyson!" others called out in surprise and a bit frighten when he stormed pass Ray, with sheer will deciding to run as far away from them – and especially Max – as possible._

_Tears blinded him – along with the picture of Max's disappointed face. That's why he didn't notice he'd ran onto road before the loud sound of car-horn and tires screeching met his ears. Turning his head, he saw a red van approaching him with such speed that it would never be able to stop on time. But all of a sudden, that thought didn't bother Tyson. There was no fear in his eyes as he stared at his approaching fate, frozen to the spot. Slowly his eyes slid shut, and he prepared himself for what was to come._

_His destiny was almost sealed, when a sudden force roughly threw him to the pavement. He screamed as weight landed onto him, making his wounds tear wider. For a long moment he simply laid there, shivering all over, trying his hardest to grasp on what had just happened. Eventually he slowly opened his eyes to see who'd saved him from his fate – and gasped as he met a pair of blue, almost teary eyes. " M – Max?"_

_He gasped again in surprise when Max suddenly pulled him up and hugged him tightly against his chest, burying his face into his blue hair. Silent sobs could be heard. " What the hell did you think you were doing?" Max cried, voice filled with anger and pain._

_Tears rolled over Tyson's cheeks as well, and he soothingly stroke Max's blonde locks with shaking hand. " I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…", he managed to whisper, not knowing what else to say._

" _I afraid sorry won't do this time, Tyson. " As Max slowly let go of him, pushing him further, he could see tears running down the boy's cheeks. His heart ached more than ever before as he realized that once again, those tears were his doing. " Ty… You can't keep pulling up stunts like this anymore."_

_Tyson blinked his eyes, to no avail trying to stop crying. " What do you mean?"_

_Max's pained eyes fell shut. " Please… Stay away from me. For both our sakes."_

_And as Tyson watched helplessly, the boy – obviously with much effort – got up and ran towards his home. As there was a sound of door being slammed shut, Tyson's tears rolled even harder when he realized that with that, he was also shut out of Max's life – perhaps for good._ /

* * *

By the time he finished the story, Tyson was crying hysterically, head buried into his hands, entire slender body visibly trembling. " I'm an idiot, such an idiot…"

" Tyson", Reza said gently, yet firmly. " Tyson, look at me." She continued as the boy eventually did as ordered, still crying. " I know that this probably won't bring you much comfort right now, but…" She gave a small smile of encouragement. " When you've hit the rock bottom, there's only one way to go."

* * *

Four days later, it was a sunny afternoon as Ray entered the BBA-building Mr. D had placed Tala, Bryan, Nadja and Alissa into.

" Hi Stan", he greeted the guard at the door, and the man replied with a nod and smile. They'd learned to know each other quite well due to Ray's daily visits.

A small smile briefly played on his lips as he passed by one of the rooms that had its door slightly open, and saw Tala holding Nadja tenderly in his arms, whispering into the girl's ear.

Ray was glad that those two were together. With Kai missing and their lives completely turned upside down, life wasn't easy for the two. At least now they had each other to lean on to.

After a short walk and one turn right, he was at the door he'd been looking for and prepared to knock. Before his hand ever touched the door, however, Alissa's amused voice came from the room. " Come in, Ray."

Smirking slightly, Ray pushed the door open. It was amazing how that girl could always sense him coming. " Hi Lissa", he greeted as he closed the door behind him.

Smiling, Alissa got up from the bed she'd been sitting on and walked up to him. She gently wrapped her arms around him and leaned her forehead to his chest, eyes closed. Ray repeated the gesture, pulling Alissa close and burying his face into her hair that held a scent of wind.

This was their own, private little tradition, their way of keeping each other from falling apart. Ray suspected that without Alissa, he would've gone crazy during the past months.

For a longest time they stood like that in silence, until Ray finally spoke. " We should practice."

" Mmm…", Alissa commented, sounding reluctant.

Eyes still closed, Ray smirked, revealing his fangs. " We can do some more of this later."

They both opened their eyes, looking at each other. " Is that a promise?" Alissa inquired.

Ray nodded, smiling. " Yeah. A promise."

After some minutes, they stood by a small practice-dish that had been built into the basement-floor of the building.

" 3… 2… 1… LET IT RIP!" Ray hollered, and the blades were on their way.

Sparks were flying as the blades met each other, both at times almost pushed off the dish, but still holding their ground.

" Driger! TIGER CLAW ATTACK!" Ray suddenly called.

" Lumera! SPIRAL CLAW!" Alissa summoned her beast.

The blades crashed together with a force that made the entire small room shutter, and for a while the light was so strong that they couldn't see a thing.

When the light finally faded, both smiled. Both blades were laying lifelessly on the floor. It was a tie.

" You've improved", Ray complimented while retreating his blade.

" That's right. That was an amazing battle." Mr. Dickinson's voice startled them both. Turning their heads, they saw the man leaning against the doorframe, a slightly anxious look upon his old, gentle face.

Both teens became suspicious. " What's going on?" Alissa was the one ask.

Mr. D smiled slightly. " Patience is a virtue, young lady." It was apparent that the old man could hardly keep his news to himself. " Come into my office. The others are on their way."

Ray frowned. " Has something happened?"

" Rather something has come up." Mr. D turned around, walking away. " Are you two coming?"

* * *

Curled up into a tight ball in the corner of her freezing cell, Dara furiously tried to count for how many days – weeks, perhaps even months – she'd spent in that rat-hole. She couldn't tell anymore. Exhaustion, hunger and undying worry for the two people she still had left in world clouded her mind. It was impossible to tell which of the things she saw and heard were real and which weren't; Kai's screams of horrifying pain in the wind, laughter in the walls, constant visits of Boris' men that either gave her injections or food that couldn't be eaten…

If she wouldn't get out of that place soon, she would lose her mind. And she couldn't bring herself even guessing what had been done to Dimitrei, with the small child unable to do anything to protect himself. And Kai… God, was the boy even alive anymore? Before, even when they'd been separated for years, she had always been able to feel him, sense him – it was probably thanks to the connection Dranzer and Zeba had. But now… The connection was gone.

A tear escaped her glazed blue eye.

_Kai… Where are you?_ All of a sudden, her eyes lit into a furious flame and squinted. _I can't just sit and wait anymore. I've gotta do something, especially now that I finally can._

She lifted her head as there was a sound of door being opened, and after some moments one of Boris' men was opening the door of her cell, carrying a plate with rotten food on it. " Dinner-time", the man announced, no emotions in his voice.

Swiftly, careful not to let the man notice what she was doing, Dara reached out her hand, picking up her purple blade. Because of some fuss, Boris had never remembered to take it away from her after morning-practise. " Another gourmet meal?" she asked, voice filled with sarcasm.

The man gave her a cold glare. " Just eat, brat, and be grateful a piece of filth like you gets anything at all."

" 'Grateful'?" she repeated, hardly managing to stifle a laughter. A small click was heard as she placed her blade into a launcher. " _You_ be grateful for _this_."

And before the surprised man managed to do a thing, she launched – and the blade made a brutal contact with his head. For a small second the man stared at her with widened, shocked eyes, before he fell to the floor, unconscious.

Dara snorted. " For once I have a reason to thank Boris for something." With that she walked up to the man, taking the set of key's from his belt. " Thank you, asshole. Now, I'm getting out of here – but first, there's someone I have to find."

After making sure there were no other guards nearby, she stepped out of the cell, locked the door (leaving the man inside) and ran as fast as she possibly could.

She had no idea for how long she'd been running around when she finally had to stop to catch her already wheezing breath.

_Damnit, this place is a freakin' maze!_

Suddenly she heard approaching voices, and was just on time to round behind a corner before two Boris' men – both wearing scientists' coats – walked pass. " How did the subject respond to treatment?" another one – smaller – asked in a squeaking tone.

" As expected. He's just waking up", the bigger one replied, making some notes onto his clipboard. " The next injection will be given in three hours."

As soon as the men were in safe distance, Dara slipped away from behind the corner, beginning to walk towards the door the men had came through.

_Thanks for showing me where to go._ She gave a loud growl when noticing that the door needed a security-code to open. _Damnit!_

' _Master, perhaps I can help_', Zeba's feminine voice echoed in her mind.

Just then remembering the blade and launcher she was still holding, Dara smirked and charged towards the lock. It smashed to hundreds of pieces, and the door slowly slipped open. Her smirk widened. ' _Thanks, Zeba._'

' _Anytime, Master. Now hurry; Boris will notice you're on loose any minute now._'

Stepping in, Dara felt her heart twitch for what she saw. " Oh my God…", she gasped, covering her mouth with one hand to keep herself from vomiting, as a wave of nausea struck her.

The huge room – obviously a laboratory – was completely white, and the disgusting, sterile smell that lingered thickly in the air reminded her chillingly of hospital. There were machines, test-tubes, needles and all kinds of horrifying instruments all over, and Dara didn't even dare to guess what they were all used for. And there, on a small bed in the middle of the room, laid Dimitrei, dressed into a white gown that made his pale skin seem ghostly-white. The small child was hooked on a terrifyingly huge amount of machines, and through one tube green liquid seeped into his veins. His eyes were closed, and the only things proving he was actually alive were the sounds of his wheezing breathing and the steady beeping of his heart-monitor.

Dara blinked her eyes, barely managing to restrain tears. " Dimi…"

Hearing her voice, Dimitrei – obviously with much effort – inched his eyelids, and despite exhaustion and pain smiled slightly when seeing her. " Dara!"

Forcing a small smile through threatening tears, Dara rushed up to him, suddenly remembering that she was in a hurry. " Shh, don't talk", she told him, ripping off all the horrifying tubes connected to him. " We're getting out of here, okay? I'm taking you away from these monsters. Just hang on for a little while longer."

Too tired to speak, Dimitrei simply gave a small nod, eyes drooping dangerously. As soon as she lifted him into her arms – easily, for he hardly weight a thing – his head fell powerlessly against her shoulder as he lost consciousness. And the exactly same minute, a high-pitched alarm-sound filled the entire building. " Shit!" Dara hissed.

Looking at Dimitrei, her eyes squinted in determination. She couldn't give up, not now; after all, she had three peoples' safety on her shoulders…

With that thought, she once again ran with desperate speed, praying that she'd find her way out of the building on time.

* * *

Back in Japan, it seemed to take forever before everyone was in Mr. Dickinson's office that was becoming too small for the group. Air was thick, electric, and for once the tension wasn't caused by Kai's absence or the mess between Tyson and Max. With all that had happened lately, it was hard for the group to take Mr. Dickinson's 'I have something to tell you' – phone-calls lightly.

" What's up now?" Tyson asked tensely as he took a seat beside Max, carefully avoiding eye-contact with the boy. It was almost unbearable to be in the same room with the blonde; there was no way he'd be able to look into Max's disappointed, pained eyes.

" This morning, I got a call from Alan Barnes, the president of Scotland's BBA – headquarters", Mr. Dickinson told them.

The gang became curious. " And…?" Nadja urged.

" He told me that lately, there's been some… problems. Actually, the same problem has surfaced in Russia and Australia as well", Mr. D explained, something in his eyes they'd never seen in them before. " It appears that someone's been stealing bit-beasts. So far altogether fifteen beasts have been taken."

" Fifteen!" they all exclaimed. How was it possible!

Ray blinked his widened eyes, seeming shocked. " That's… that's just… unforgivable", he managed to whisper under his breath.

The other Bladebreakers could do nothing but nod in agreement, too shocked for words. After everything that had happened before the events on lake Baikal, the subject of stealing bit-beasts was still raw and tender for them.

Tala, on the other hand, frowned. Something about this sounded disturbingly familiar… And just then, his eyes widened and he gasped in realization. " Oh shit…", he whispered, so quietly that no one heard.

" Who the heck could do something like that?" Tyson exclaimed, too overwhelmed by disbelief and rage to see the obvious.

" All victims gave the same description", Mr. D told them, alarmingly solemnly. " You see, this young man who took the bit-beasts was described as ruthless, but also extremely, almost scarily talented. And he used a beast he called Black Dranzer."

* * *

Dara had no idea of how she'd managed to do it, but she actually found her way out of the labyrinth-like building. But not without a cost; one of the bullets shot by Boris' guards had hit her, leaving a nasty, worryingly bleeding wound onto her shoulder.

After trekking in the knee-high snow for hours – perhaps almost full day – Dara's body was completely numb from the cruel, constantly dropping temperature, and her blurry eyes hardly saw a thing. She was still bleeding, and the blood-loss made staying awake almost impossible. The light jackets she'd managed to steal for herself and Dimitrei weren't much help in keeping cold away. On top of it all, it had started to snow hard, which made seeing ahead pretty much impossible.

Squinting her weary, hazy eyes in determination, she desperately tried to tighten her hold on cold, still unconscious Dimitrei.

_You have to keep on walking_, she told herself. _Just for a little while longer…_

Suddenly, she saw something that she first thought was hallucination. Ahead, no more than about twenty steps away, two men in heavy winter-clothes were walking pass her. Gasping, she tried to run towards them, but fell to the snow as her legs refused to do their work anymore. " Wait!" she tried to scream, but all that came out was a pathetic wheeze. Hot tears of frustration escaped her eyes. " Wait…" With that world went black, and she slumped to the snow, losing consciousness.

Another one of the men suddenly stopped walking with a frown. " Igor… Did you hear something?" he asked.

" Yeah", his companion replied, looking around, frowning as well.

And just then, both of them spotted something dark in the middle of white snow. Rushing forward, both gave loud gasps when noticing that it was a teenage girl with a small boy cradled protectively in her arms. " Oh my gosh…", the one that had spoken first managed, then rushed up to the child, checking on his vitals. " Still breathing, but faintly. He has a high fever", he reported, then investigated the girl. " She seems to have fever, too, but she'd breathing normally, and her pulse is strong."

The one called Igor nodded, stepping forward. " Anton, take the child to the clinic. I'll follow you with the girl."

Anton nodded, and without wasting another second took the kid, using some of his warm jacket to provide heat for the poor child. With that he rushed forward.

Making sure Anton was gone, Igor stepped up to the girl and moved some of her long hair to reveal her neck. He gave a cruel smirk when noticing the series of numbers tattooed onto the back of her neck. " Excellent… Just as I suspected…" With that, he took out his cell-phone and dialled numbers. " Boris, it's Igor Sparov. I found the girl and brat. What should I do with them?"

" _Take them to your clinic, and keep them there – whatever the cost. It's important that they won't get out to ruin our plans. Understood?_"

He nodded, though Boris couldn't see it. " Understood, sir."

Hanging up, he gently took Dara into his arms. She whimpered quietly, almost coming to. " It's alright", he told her in a hypnotic voice. " I've got you now."

* * *

Extremely beautiful violin-music filled a dark London hotel-room. In the middle of the room, observed by the old man sitting on a couch, stood a boy with his long black hair on a loose ponytail. Some stubborn stray-locks had fallen over to shadow his tattooed face. The boy played eyes closed, not needing notes, remembering exactly what to do with his heart.

When he made the final straw, the old man nodded, apparently pleased. " Very good, grandson. Very good indeed."

The boy opened his burgundy eyes gradually, looking at the man who's face betrayed no emotions. He, too, seemed nothing but cold as he nodded. " Thank you, grandfather."

As he put away the violin, the old man stood, heading towards the door. " I need to take care of some things. Practice blading in meantime. Understood?"

" Yes, grandfather."

" Good." The old man walked towards the door. While walking pass him, the man allowed his hand to touch his shoulder, making shivers of disgust run through him. " Rejelv will soon be here with your medication."

As the man left, he slowly walked up to the mirror hanging on a wall, staring at his reflection, though he hardly saw a thing in the dark room. With a deep frown he observed the tattoos and scars covering his face. Marks… So many of them… And there were many others all over his body. According to the old man who was said to be his grandfather, they were all result of the events that had led into the accident that had taken his memory. But Kai wasn't stupid – he could tell when he was being lied to. And he could only wonder what the truth was.

It seemed that he was dangerous. At least everyone else than his grandfather were cautious and nervous – almost panicked – around him. There was a whole organisation of people around him, but no one else than that doctor, Rejelv, and his grandfather was allowed to touch him. Whenever anyone else was caught doing so – even accidentally – Kai never saw them again. He suspected it was because of this… thing inside of him that constantly fought over control.

Aside his name, all he certainly knew about himself was that he was given injections and pills almost constantly. He hated those drugs – they always made him nauseous and disordered – but according to his grandfather they were vital. And it apparently was also important that he was kept in dark; he only stole bit-beasts in night-time, and was either drugged unconscious or locked into a darkened room at other times. Even now, heavy curtains were pulled to cover the windows to ensure that he wouldn't see a single ray of light.

He hated what his grandfather made him do – whenever he was forced to steal a bit-beast, it felt like a part of him died. But… he couldn't stop himself. Firstly, no matter how much he despised his grandfather, the man was all he had left. And… the thing inside him wouldn't let him escape from the monster's hands, to defy the man. He'd tried several times, but never got even out of the door of hotel room. He couldn't understand it, and would even go as far as saying it frightened him; what the hell was that thing? How could his grandfather have such a control over him – particularly when every fibre of his being screamed him to escape, to leave all this behind? Besides, all the twisted things his grandfather did to him… couldn't possibly be normal. And why did it feel wrong to use Black Dranzer, when his grandfather kept saying it was his destiny?

His train of thoughts was suddenly stopped when his eyes fell to the pendant hanging around his neck. Unable to understand why he was doing so, he brushed it with his fingers, deep frown of confusion upon his face. All of a sudden, a huge wave of headache washed over him when memories started to push through. What his grandfather had told him mangled with vague glimpses of past.

_" Your parents abandoned you when you were just a baby, because they didn't want a child."_

/ _Woman's – his mother's, no doubt – eyes held nothing but shadow as she looked at him, no longer really alive. " My brave boy…", she gave a faint whisper. She blinked exhaustedly. " Aishiteru, Kai… Don't be afraid…"_ /

_" Your father gave you to me to raise you, to make you a strong blader."_

/ _Man's – most likely his father's – auburn eyes flashed with rage. " Leave my family alone, father. You are in my house now, and I want you to be removed."_

_" Leave our house, now", the woman from the previous memory hissed through her teeth, mahogany eyes showing pure hatred towards the old man. " Leave our son alone."_

_" Kai is a Hiwatari, Miyami", Voltaire told her in an emotionless voice. " His destiny is to become my heir, and there's nothing you or my pathetic son can do about it."_ /

_" Your destiny is to control the ultimate power of Black Dranzer. You were born to use that blade, to rule that bit-beast."_

/ _A boy with navy hair offered him a blue blade, smiling brightly. On the blade's bit-chip, there was a picture of a magnificent, beautiful red phoenix. " I think Dranzer would be happier to be back with you. Besides, dude, black was never really your colour!"_ / (!)

_" I am the only one who's ever cared about you."_

/ _" No matter what happens, we'll always be there for you", a boy who's brown hair covered his eyes said, voice filled with sincerity. _/ (!)

_" No one could ever love you."_

/ _A beautiful girl with long purple hair wrapped her arms tightly around him, holding him close._ /

Kai squeezed his eyes tightly shut, blocking out the excruciating pain those strange memories caused him. As he opened his eyes again, they showed no emotions. And his glowed fist shattered the mirror with one blow.

* * *

TBC.

* * *

A/N: Ungh! So the bastard makes Kai steal bit-beast. Damnit… Will his friends finally find him and bring back his memory? And what happens to Dara?

Please, stick around for next chapter! And **PLEEAAAZEEEE**, review! **Because otherwise, I don't know if you even care whether this continues or not, and therefore will see no point in writing further.**


	19. Confrontations

A/N: Hi, everyone! 'Bout time for a new chapter. (grins)

But first… Thank you **so much** for your amazing reviews! You can't even imagine how much significance they have to me.

Okay, as you probably prefer to continue with the story, I'll cut this a/n here. Some of you might've been wondering how everyone has been able to keep it together so well with all the stress and worry for Kai. In this chapter, tension finally becomes too much…

* * *

CHAPTER 19: Confrontations

Two weeks after finding out that Kai had been in Scotland, the gang – along with Mr. Dickinson – was sitting in a limousine in Italy, making their way towards the local BBA-headquarters.

Another five bit-beasts had been stolen in Italy. And again, it'd been done with Black Dranzer.

After some minutes, they walked through the shining hallways of the fancy building, Mr. Dickinson leading them as he knew the place perfectly.

Entering a board-room, they found an attractive black-haired woman in about her early thirties. She was Sofia Chappelli, the president of the headquarters. She had a stiff smile upon her face as she greeted them. " Hi, and welcome to Italy. I'm sorry if this place is a bit messed up, but after the bit-beasts were stolen, there's been quite a hassle going on", she apologized, speaking with a thick accent.

" It's only understandable, Sofia", Mr. Dickinson calmed the woman with a small reassuring smile, then became solemn again. " When were the beasts stolen?"

" The last one took place four days ago", Sofia informed them.

The gang exchanged frustrated looks. Four days was far too long. During their search for Kai, they'd noticed that he was nowhere for longer than two days. They were late – again.

" So this… Kai is a friend of yours?" Sofia asked them.  
" And my brother", Nadja added, her eyes burning. " Look, you need to understand that he's not quite himself at the moment. There's… Well, a lot has happened."

Sofia smiled at her gently, seeing her anguish. " There's nothing to explain, dear." She then looked at Mr. D, solemn. " I understood that his grandfather has something to do with his… behaviour."

" Yes." Mr. D sighed and shook his head, seeming more sad than they'd ever seen him. " He's a grandson of Voltaire Hiwatari." Judging by the look of shock that appeared to Sofia's face, she recognized the maniac's name. The sadness transformed into anger as Mr. D went on. " We have to put that monster behind bars. Kai will never be free before that."

Silence lingered in the room as everyone knew Mr. D was right. As long as Voltaire Hiwatari was on the loose, there was no chance for them to get Kai back.

" What… What was Kai like when…?" Ray suddenly asked, so silently that it was barely heard. They all understood why he was asking. If there had been at least a slightest hint of emotions upon Kai's face when he defeated his opponents, they had hope. As long as there was even a trace left of Kai's soul, they'd be able to pull him back.

Everyone's' hearts turned cold as Sofia sighed and shook her head. She seemed sad, obviously knowing the hidden meaning of the question. " I'm sorry, but… They said he was harsh and merciless, so strong that they didn't stand a slightest chance. They were all crushed before they even realized what was happening."

Those words were hard to take. The Bladebreakers knew what Black Dranzer had turned Kai like the last time, and then he had his memories to hold him back. But now, without any recollection of caring about anyone, much less being cared by a soul…

Mr. D's words ripped the suddenly very solemn group back to reality. " Look, there's something I need talk about with Sofia", he told them. " We'll be back in few minutes, alright?"

The group replied with wordless nods. For a long time smothering silence lingered over them.

Giving a deep, slightly shuttering sigh, Ray ran a trembling hand through his ebony hair. " I just can't believe this…", he whispered. " I can't believe we've really lost him."

Max's blue eyes were burning with determination as the American shook his head. " No. We've just gotta find a way to get through to him."

Tyson's head was bowed, face shadowed by his cap as he spoke quietly, almost whispered. " You guys… We have to stop him."

Everybody immediately looked at the boy with shocked eyes. Before anyone else got a chance to speak, Nadja stepped forward, eyes filled with fury. " I can't believe you, Granger", she hissed.

" Nadja, I didn't…", Tyson helplessly tried to defend himself, but was soon cut off as Nadja went on with her ranting.

" Kai is the only piece of my family I have left! I am not going to let you hurt him!" she roared like a bear. " You were supposed to be his friend! He trusted you with his life! How dare you talk so lightly about stopping him!"

Tyson knew that those were merely words of utter frustration, but they slashed him deeply, hurt much worse than pretty much anything he'd ever had to hear. His stinging eyes squinted as well, his throat was tight and sore as he also screamed out. " How the hell do you think you can judge me like that!" His breathing turned hitched. " Besides, since when has Kai been that dear to you? The last time you two were together, you were ready to kill him!"

Those words pushed Nadja over the thin edge. Giving a feral cry, she punched Tyson with all the might there was in her body. Feeling the pain flooding through his body, Tyson almost reflexively lifted his own hand to pay back, when a tight, irony hold on his wrist prevented him. Turning his furious gaze, he met Tala's stern, enraged ice-blue orbs. " Don't you dare raise your hand against a girl, Granger."

" Thank you Tala, but I believe I can defend myself against him." Nadja's eyes were squinted to furious, flaming slits as she looked at Tyson, hissing something in Russian that made both Tala and Bryan fall pale. After that she stormed off, slamming the door shut behind her.

Tyson was about to follow the infuriated girl, but was still restrained by Tala's strong hold. Looking up, he found the Russian's shaking his head. " Don't. I know her. If you go after her now, she won't settle with just slapping you."

At that moment, everything Tyson had been bottling up inside of himself – all the quilt, pain, ache caused by Nadja's painful words – finally became too much. His eyes were flaming in a way no one had ever seen them as he looked at them all, fists clenched into tight balls. " Do you really think I could ever, under any circumstances, consider hurting Kai!" He shook his head, flood of anger, disappointment and disbelief washing over him all at once. " I can't believe you guys think I'm that low!" His eyes squinted as he looked at still stoic Tala, pointing the redhead with his finger. " And you… Who are you to give me orders? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't remember that you would be my team-captain, so why the hell should I take orders from you? Bryan might be your lapdog, but you've never been declared to be my boss!" He shook his head, snorting. " Besides, why are you so upset? You're nothing but an emotionless ice-king – you don't give a damn about Kai!"

" Okay, Tyson, that's enough", Alissa stated sternly, placing her hand onto Tyson's shoulder, but the boy roughly shook it off, giving the girl a glare.

" If you understand what's best for you, stay out", Tyson snarled in a voice that sounded like anything but his, then glared daggers at Tala again. " And you…"

" Tyson, do you honestly think that yelling at me solves anything?" Tala seemed calm, but the tightness in his voice and clenched fists told that inwardly, he was boiling. There was a storm in his eyes. " If you wanna punch me, do so, but it doesn't bring us any closer to finding Kai!"

Losing the last bits of his self-control, Tyson raised his fist, too late to see Ray who barged into between them. Almost anyone else would've yelped at the pain that flooded through Ray as Tyson's fist unintentionally collided with his cheek, but instead a low growl escaped from his throat as he glared at the fighting pair. " Knock it off, you two!" he roared and shook his head, deep disappointment in his flaming golden yes. " Geez, do you honestly think Kai would be proud to see you two at each other's throats like this, do you?" He glared at both two, who still seemed ready to kill each other. " DO YOU!" This time he bellowed so loudly that everyone jumped in frighten – or everyone else but Tyson, who's anger was far from ceased.

As someone roughly graphed Tyson's shoulder, he raised his fist again, but let it fall as he met Max's disappointed, pain-filled eyes. " You gonna punch me too now?" Rather harshly, the boy begun to drag him along. " You need to cool down before you hurt anyone else."

Alissa, on the other hand, took Tala's hand and begun to pull her brother to opposite direction, ignoring the boy's loud protests. " And the same goes for you too."

With the fighting couple gone, heavy, almost electric silence fell over the group, as if they'd been expecting another storm to break out. Just then there were sounds of approaching steps as Mr. D and Sophia were coming back.

Deep frown crossed Mr. Dickinson's features as he looked at the group, noticing Ray's cheek that would surely get a nice black tint by next morning. " Could someone explain to me what happened here?"

* * *

Some ten minutes later Tyson and Max were in a small, cool conference-room of the headquarters, sitting on chairs next to each other. So far no words had been passed between them, but both knew that eventually the conversation would have to begin.

Finally Max chose to speak. " Tyson… I'm scared."

Tyson blinked in surprise, looking at the boy for a first time since they'd entered the room. " Of what?"

" Of what you've become." Max gave a deep sigh, running his hand through his hair. " Since Kai was taken, you've hardly slept, and according to what I've heard from your grandpa, you're an inch from being expelled from school. And all this fighting you've been doing…" Deep frown upon his face, Max looked at him. " I hardly know you anymore, and that's what scares me. I… I can't lose you too, especially not now. None of us can." The blonde sighed again. " Look, I understand that this is hard, but…"

" No, you don't!" Tyson had been on the edge for far too long, and now he'd finally had it. " I was supposed to protect Kai! I failed him, Max! How the hell am I supposed to be okay with that!"

" None of us is okay with this!" Max roared, tears rimming his eyes. " Take a look around you, Tyson! There are other people suffering here besides you, damnit! Do you think this is easy for us, that we somehow… enjoy this?" Max didn't wipe away his spilling tears. " Do you know why Ray is always awake before the rest of us? Because he never sleeps! And Nadja… She's an inch from breaking down completely! You have no idea of the pain and guilt she goes through for treating Kai the way she did – and you just threw all that right at her face! The rest of them – including Tala, the 'ice king' – are also just barely hanging in there! And me…" Max sobbed almost hysterically. " I'm so fucking scared that I've never been in my entire life! I don't even remember when I would've slept a night without nightmares of what might've happened to Kai, and for months I haven't been able to _not _think about him pretty much every waking minute, wondering if we'll ever see him again!" The blonde shook his head. " God, I've always known that your skull is thick, but I never expected you to be this blind!" With that, Max broke down completely, burying his face into his trembling hands.

Tyson was speechless. Never before had he seen Max break down like this. It wasn't until then he begun to realize.

_Oh gosh, I've been an idiot…_

He reached out a hand, touching Max's moist cheek. " Turtle, I… I'm sorry", he whispered, trying to catch Max's eyes, but they remained hidden behind hands.

It took for several minutes before Max finally got himself composed and revealed his reddened, puffy eyes. " We need to have a long talk, and I'm not sure if that changes anything", the boy announced, quietly and briskly. " But first, there are other people you need to talk to."

* * *

" Miss?"

Soft, deep voice echoed inside darkness.

" Miss, can you hear me?"

Eyelids that had been closed for two weeks twitched, unwilling to open up, and a protesting growl escaped the sleeper's lips.

_I'm so tired… Let me sleep…_

" Sleep…", came a mutter through dry, cracked lips.

Very slowly the eyelids cracked open, but became closed immediately when bright rays of sun assaulted them. Some moments later the sapphire-blue eyes opened again, blearily investigating the environment. As the vision slowly became clearer, she could see a dark blob against fair, almost white background.

" Good morning. It was about time to wake up, you've been sleeping for two weeks." With the vision gradually clearing completely, she could see the speaker. He was a man in about his thirties, dressed into a white scientist's coat. He had shoulder-length midnight-blue hair on a ponytail, and glass-blue eyes looked at her curiously. " I'm Dr. Anton Pereshov. You're in a clinic I and my colleague, Dr. Igor Sparov own. We found you and some child from snow", he told her. " What is the last thing you remember?"

She licked her lips, desperately trying to make her hazy memory work for her. " I… I was trapped…" Suddenly remembering, her eyes widened and she gasped. " Kai… Dimitrei…" She jumped up into a sitting position with a speed that made her head spin dangerously. Her eyes were filled terror as she looked at the man. " Dimitrei? Where is he?"

Dr. Pereshov frowned. " Is he the boy you were carrying?"

Dara's eyes flashed. " What have you done to him!" she screamed, hysterical. " If you've hurt him…"

All of a sudden the door opened, and another doctor stepped in – Igor Sparov, his nametag said. He was about forty, with shortcut black hair and grey eyes. " Alright, calm down", the man told her, giving her some sort of a injection without her noticing it. " You have extremely high fever, and we're still working with your pneumonia", he explained calmly, and she let him push her down, as she suddenly felt really drowsy. " You need to rest now, alright? The time for questions comes later."

And so his almost hypnotic voice escorted her into world of dreams.

* * *

It took for a long time, but eventually Tyson found Nadja sitting on a rooftop of the headquarters. He was just about to speak when Nadja's words prevented him. " Don't take another step or I might end up hurting you."

Not even considering objections after the punch she'd given him, Tyson did as ordered. " Look, Nadja… I know it's still hard for you to trust us. Considering all you've been through, it's understandable", he stated softly. " But you need to understand that I would never even consider hurting Kai. I care about him at least as much as you do. Don't ever doubt that, you hear me?"

For a long time heavy silence lingered over them as Nadja pondered the words, her back towards him. " It's gonna take a lot more than empty words to convince me, Tyson", she finally announced.

Tyson couldn't help but smile slightly. Good. At least he was now 'Tyson' instead of 'Granger'. Still cautious, he walked up to the girl, taking a seat beside her. " Unfortunately 'empty words' are all I have to offer, but… Perhaps they'll do." It took for a long time before he found his voice to speak again. " It… it hasn't been an easy ride, between Kai and us. At first he basically hated us, and it took for ages before he finally begun to trust us. But… I never once gave up on him. None of us did. And finally, after the 'lake Baikal disaster', he begun to consider us friends." It wasn't until then he noticed he was crying, though he'd probably been doing so for a long while. " We're more than just a blading-team, Nadja. That's why we're so strong together. We… we fulfil each other. And now with Kai missing… we're incomplete." He wiped his eyes with a shaking hand. " That's why we haven't been practising pretty much at all since Voltaire took him. It just… It isn't the same. It doesn't feel right." He took a shuttering breath. " We miss him very, very much. Right now, I'd give just about everything to have him back with us. Never question that."

Again, it was silent for a long time as he wiped away his tears and Nadja chewed over his words. Eventually the girl spoke. " You okay?"

In his shock caused by the unexpected reaction, Tyson barely found words to reply. " Y – yeah, I will be… Talking… does good. To all of us." He looked at the girl. " Perhaps you should try it too."

" Yeah, maybe some other day." Slowly Nadja got up to her feet, stretching. " Look, Tyson… I wouldn't say I trust you yet, but… I understand you better now – as far as it's possible to."

Tyson couldn't help but smile. " Good." For once in his life, he felt that just one word would do.

" Good", Nadja echoed. After that she stood still for a while, then turned around and begun to walk towards the door that led back inside. Just before she was out of his sight, she turned her head once more and looked at him. " You need to talk to Max as well. If someone is a fool enough to care about you like he does, you should hold on to that."

His smile widened. " I know. Thanks."

He could've sworn he heard a small, familiar 'hn' in the wind as Nadja disappeared from his view.

* * *

It was quite late at night, almost morning, and Ray was just about to go to bed (tough he knew that he'd most likely get no sleep) when there was a knock on his door. After slight hesitation he tossed towards the door, frowning as he couldn't understand who'd be visiting him at such hour. His golden eyes widened as he opened the door and faced the person behind it. " T – Tala?"

Giving a small nod, Tala stepped in without saying a word. Ray's heartbeat shot up when he realized that this was the conversation he'd been trying to avoid since the day he'd discovered his feelings for Alissa. Although he and Alissa had agreed to keep their relationship as a secret (for they both valued privacy), it'd been obvious to him that Tala would find out sooner or later; after all, the Russian wasn't stupid. It wasn't hard for a protective brother to see the secret touches between Ray and Alissa, or the fearful looks Ray quite often sent his way. Now, Ray could only wonder what Tala would do to him. None of the things that came to his mind were pleasant.

Somewhat awkward silence lingered in the room for a long time before Tala spoke. " I assume you know why I'm here."

Ray nodded, giving a gulp so loud that Tala must've heard it. " Look, I… I can explain…"

" If your feelings are genuine, what's there to explain?" Tala interrupted. Ray's heart jumped all the way to his throat as the boy's ice-blue eyes examined him, seeming to see every corner of his soul. " Do you really care about her?"

Ray couldn't disguise his surprise. Tala wasn't going to kill him? It took for a while before he found his voice to reply. " Yeah, I do. More than I've ever cared about anyone."

For a long time Tala stood in silence, seeming to debate whether his words were true or not. Eventually (after decades, it seemed to Ray) the Russian gave a nod of acceptance. " Alright then." Relief flooded over Ray, but it disappeared immediately when Tala looked at him once again, blue eyes flaming like never before. " But if you _ever_ hurt her, I will personally haunt you down, and that day, you will regret you were ever born. Do we understand each other?"

Ray guessed his face had paled when he nodded. " Y – yes." He sounded like a five-year-old.

" Excellent. I'm glad we had this matter discussed." With that, Tala walked towards the door, heading out. " Goodnight."

Blinking his eyes in deep confusion, Ray stared as Tala walked out of the room and silently closed the door. As soon as he knew Tala was in a safe distance, he let out a huge, shuttering sigh of relief.

* * *

It was completely dark when Dara finally woke up, feeling nasty throbbing hammering both her head and the shoulder that had been bruised by the bullet.

For a long moment she simply laid still, staring at the ceiling, and tried to catch her straying, cloudy thoughts and memories.

" Feeling any better?" suddenly came the familiar voice of Dr. Pereshov's. Turning her head, she saw the man making notes on her vitals.

Blinking her eyes, still feeling strangely groggy, she nodded. " I'm ok", she murmured, rubbing her face with one hand. " Just a bit sore."

The doctor gave her a sympathetic look. " That's only understandable. Along with fever, you had quite a variety of bruises and injuries when we found you." The man frowned. " Speaking of which… Where did you got so badly wounded? Someone's obviously been hurting you for a long time now, as some of the injuries were old."

Last pieces of memory clicking together, Dara gave a loud gasp. " Oh my God… Kai!"

She tried to sit up again, but this time the doctor was fast enough to stop her. " Hey, calm down. Everything's okay now. " Taking some paper, Dr. Pereshov obviously prepared himself to make notes. " Look, I need to ask you some questions now that you're awake…"

She shook her head, just barely managing to keep herself from going hysterical. " No, no, there's no time for questions", she protested frantically. " Kai… I need to help him… I have to call the police…"

Dr. Pereshov frowned, alarmed by her words. " Police? Miss…"

Dara finally managed to gather herself enough to realize that to make anything happen, she'd have to calm down. She took a deep breath before speaking. " I'm Balkov, Dara Balkov", she told him, voice shivering with tension. " My uncle, Boris Balkov, he… he kept me in this base, me and Dimitrei. And… Voltaire Hiwatari… He has Kai." She looked straight into the doctor's blue eyes, gaze filled with something close to desperation. " Call police, then Mr. Stanley Dickinson… He… he'll know what to do, he can help us… Help Kai…"

Dr. Pereshov nodded reassuringly, making notes. " Alright, alright…" Suddenly remembering something, he looked at the agitated girl, who was currently staring at her hands that rested in her lap. " That little-boy you had with you… Is he Dimitrei?"

Dara's head immediately snapped up, blue eyes widened. " Yes", she replied anxiously. " Is he alright? Did he… did he make it?"

" Yes, he did, but…" He swallowed, unsure whether he should tell this or not. " Look, when we brought you two here, he had a nasty infection. It's almost healed now, but… He still has fever – far higher than yours – and he's still very weak."

Absolute shock flashed in Dara's eyes, and for a moment her gaze wandered back to her hands. When she looked at him again, she was almost in tears. " Can… can I see him?"

He smiled apologetically. " I'm sorry, but right now it's the best for you both if you just rest and gather your strength. Don't worry, we'll let you know immediately if anything happens." So saying he got up, heading towards the door. " Look, you can relax. We'll take care of you two, and I'll make sure the police and that… Mr. Dickinson will be called."

Dara nodded, seeming to relax just slightly. " 'K…" Her eyes fluttered closed and open, the talking had obviously worn her out. " I… need to… tell the police… help Kai…" With those words, she fell asleep.

Emerging, Dr. Pereshov found Dr. Sparov from the hallway. " She fell asleep", he informed his colleague. " But before that, she told me to call police and some… Mr. Dickinson." He frowned in confusion. " And she kept talking about saving that… Kai who's name she was muttering when she was unconscious."

Dr. Sparov lifted his head from the papers he'd been reading, eyes alert. " Did she tell you anything specific?"

He shook his head. " No, she was still too weak and exhausted." He looked at his notes. " But for some reason, I think we really should call the police. There's something weird about those two. With the gunshot-wound and everything…"

" I can do that", Sparov immediately promised, taking the notes from him. " You go and check up on the kid, I think he's waking up."

Suspicious for his friend's sudden enthusiasm, Pereshov frowned slightly. But the strange feeling disappeared as fast as it'd came, and he nodded. " Okay. I doubt the police will be interested, but still…"

" It's worth the try", Sparov filled in.

Giving another nod, for some incomprehensible reason still feeling slightly hesitant to leave the notes into Sparov's hands, Pereshov forced a small smile. " Yeah." He paused. " I'll just… go and check up on the kid." With that he walked away.

After making sure Pereshov was really gone, Sparov threw the notes into nearest trashcan. Something chilling was flashing in his eyes.

_No one messes with my plans._ He looked at the door of Dara's room. _Especially not some brat._

Those thoughts in his mind, he prepared a needle and entered the room, closing the door soundlessly behind him.

* * *

Meanwhile, yells echoed through a Parisian park.

" UNICOLYON! NO!"

" Black Dranzer, FINISH HIM UP!"

After two minutes, Kai sat into the limousine where his grandfather was waiting for him, holding his undamaged blade in his hand.

" Got the job done, I see", Voltaire stated.

" Of course I did", Kai growled, eyes flashing. " Taking down those rookies isn't exactly as difficult as brain-surgery."

Silence fell over them, and as he moved his gaze to stare out the window, his hand once again travelled to the mysterious pendant hanging around his neck. Immediately, a memory pushed through, making him frown in pain.

* * *

/ _His eyes were closed as he laid on a soft sand, his arms protectively around the same purple-hared girl he'd seen in his memories before. It was already night, but thanks to the light of the stars and city, it wasn't dark._

_Only absently knowing what he was doing, he buried his face into the girl's silken locks, inhaling deeply. They held a distantly familiar scent of fresh oranges, brought back some beautiful memories._

_Back when he'd been five, his family had lived in Spain for a year. In the backyard of their small house had grown orange-trees. He would always persistently climb into them to eat the juicy fruits, no matter how many times his mother had told him not to. And one day, he caught this cute little girl stealing their oranges. Her name was Dara._

_The sweet memories were cut short as there was a shout. " Hey, I think I found them!"_

_Turning his head, he met a blinding light of a flashlight._ /

He was woken up from the memory by the sound of his grandfather. " Would you like to have some more challenge?"

" I would like to have challenge." Trying to overcome the aftermath of the disturbing, painfulmemory, Kai kept staring out of the window as they drove off to the main-road, joining to the heavy traffic. " These opponents are boring me to death."

Voltaire smiled, eyes cold. " Well, good then. Because the next opponent will be a slightly more demanding one."

Kai looked at him. " Who would it be?"

" All Starz."

* * *

TBC.

* * *

A/N: Geez… You got it right; that Parisian opponent of Kai's was indeed no other than Oliver. Some rookie, huh?

So… Will the Bladebreakers find Kai, and help restore his memory? And – for crying out loud – will Tyson swallow his pride and make it up to Max (and Tala, too)? And what happens to Dara?

Until next time! Hope you'll all stick around. And **PLEEAASEEE**, review! You know how important your opinions are to me.

(Btw, just in case you're wondering… That flashback of Kai's took place back when he and Dara escaped the Abbey for one day, winding up to that beach. In the end, Voltaire's men find them, and we all know what happened after that…)


	20. Nocturne

A/N: Phew, a new chapter is ready! Would've sent it two days ago, but my internet-connection crashed. (grrrrrrr…)

I can't believe you're all still sticking around! Once again, thank you from the bottom of my small heart for your reviews!

Oh, and before beginning… That line; " No matter what happens, we'll always be there for you". It's Kenny's line from episode Breaking the ice. (Btw, I figured some of you might not remember it… It only came to my mind when I accidentally bumped into it in the internet.) (grins)

(And yes, Dara is definitely not in safe hands…)

Alright, without any further mambo jambo, let's get on! Hope you'll like this chappy…

* * *

CHAPTER 20: Nocturne

Michael's eyes were filled with concentration as he watched the white ball approaching him, his baseball-bat prepared.

All of a sudden, he felt that something wasn't in place. Someone was watching him. His eyes narrowed as he dropped the bat, snatched the ball in flight and with an impressive wrist-movement threw it towards the dark figure he could see as he spun around. But to his great surprise, the intruder took a perfect catch before the ball could ever touch him. " Is that the best you can do, Michael?" a mocking voice that was strangely familiar to him inquired.

His eyes narrowed once again, his hand reaching out for his launcher. " Who the heck are you? What are you doing here?"

The figure stepped out of the shadows, and Michael frowned when seeing disturbing familiarity in the black-haired intruder. Who the heck was this guy? " I came to challenge you for a little match", the intruder told him, revealing his launcher. " Do you feel up to it?"

As he looked at the boy's challenging, strangely familiar auburn eyes, he could find only one answer. He nodded. " Bring it on."

* * *

One day later, familiar gang rushed through the huge, shining hallways. It seemed to take forever before they finally entered the small conference-room where the All Starz and Judy were having a rather vivid discussion. " Why on earth did you take such a risk, Michael? You should know better than accept challenges from anyone!" Judy exclaimed, just and just managing to keep her cool.

" How was I supposed to know what would happen!" Michael tried to defend himself. " Besides, the others did the same thing!"

" Only because it was the only way to help you", Emily reminded him, rather bitterly. " And now, thanks to you, all our bit-beasts are gone." She shook her head with a deep sigh. " I just don't understand why Kai did it." She gave a snort of disbelief when seeing her team-mates' surprised looks. " Don't tell me you didn't recognise him!"

" Kai hasn't exactly been… himself lately", Tyson explained, making the gang's presence noticed.

Hugging Max, who'd just then rushed up to her, Judy looked at Tyson with a frown. " What do you mean?"

The explanation was a long one. When it finally ended, Mr. Dickinson walked in, having been calling around in hopes of finding any traces of where Voltaire would be taking Kai next. " I assume you've been told everything?" he stated.

Judy nodded, a look of disgust upon her face. " I can't believe even Voltaire has gone this low", she sighed. " Do you have any idea of where he might be taking Kai next?"

Mr. Dickinson shook his head, seeming grave. " I'm sorry to say, but no. Voltaire covers his tracks too carefully." He, too, sighed. " All we can do is wait for his next move."

* * *

In the small Siberian clinic, Dr. Anton Pereshov had a small frown upon his face as he flipped through Dara's papers. " I just don't get it", he muttered, more to himself than Igor Sparov, who was sitting on the opposite side of the small room, drinking tea. " She should be almost completely recovered by now, but she still has fever and she hardly stays awake… What the heck is going on?"

" Every human being has a unique immune system, I suppose", Sparov replied in a casual, almost resigned tone. " Besides, judging by her injuries, she's gone through a lot. She has much to recover from."

" I suppose you're right", Pereshov stated, far from convinced. " Speaking of those injuries… Did you call the police? I mean, it's been for over two weeks…"

Sparov nodded, turning page of the newspaper he was reading. " I called them, but they said that they won't rush into hearing out what some delusional, feverish kid has to say. I wouldn't expect them to come by any day soon." Taking a sip of his tea, the man shrugged. " They've probably forgotten all about it already."

" Oh…" Pereshov felt the doubt in the back of his mind grow, but couldn't exactly go on accusing his friend any further. Therefore he slowly got up, leaving the papers. " Well, I promised Dara she could see Dimitrei today, so I'll better get to it."

" Have fun."

Some ten minutes later, he was pushing Dara's wheelchair towards Dimitrei's room. " I'm sorry you have to use this, but with the fever and weakness, I don't dare to let you walk just yet."

" It's okay", she assured him, obviously hardly paying attention to his words. Suddenly remembering something, she looked at him, blue eyes flashing. " I've been meaning to ask… Have you called the police? Are they going to help Kai?"

Pereshov gulped, hating the idea of lying. But considering Dara's condition, truth would've only harmed her. " Yes, they've been called. I… I'm sure they're doing all they possibly can."

Dara nodded, looking away again. " That's good." She obviously wasn't believing him.

Pereshov almost gave a sigh of relief when they were by the door of Dimitrei's room. " Here we are…", he murmured, pushing the door open. " He might seem a bit… weak, but there's no reason to worry."

Despite the warning, Dara still gave a loud gasp and covered her mouth with one hand as the sight greeted her. Some tears escaped her eyes. " Dimi…"

The boy laid in a bed, oxygen-mask covering his small face, the blanket he was covered with rising just slightly with each wheezing breath. He was frighteningly pale, perhaps even more so than the last time Dara had seen him, and had red circles around closed eyes. The boy was visibly trembling.

" He still has pneumonia, but the worst is already behind", Pereshov explained gently. " He… he would need a heart-monitor and some equipment we unfortunately don't have, but he's tough. He'll make it."

Dara nodded lightly, barely registering the words that were meant to be soothing. Blinking her eyes – doing her hardest not to cry – she moved her wheelchair beside his bed and brushed his fingers, which were hot from fever. " Dimitrei?" she called gently, brushing his flushed cheek with her fingers. " Dimi, sweetie, can you hear me?" The child still didn't respond, and Dara gave Pereshov a confused, worried look, eyes almost scared.

He smiled slightly. " He's in a deep sleep because of the fever and rough medication. And right now, rest is what he needs the most."

Disappointment written all over her face, Dara nodded, then looked at Dimitrei again, still holding his hand. She gave a small gasp when noticing that his eyes had opened slightly. " Dimitrei?"

He blinked, exhaustion and confusion in his dark eyes, obviously trying to figure out where he was and what had happened. Looking at Dara, he stirred slightly. " Kai…?" he asked in a raspy, weak voice.

At this point, Pereshov subtly left the room, closing the door soundlessly.

Dara blinked furiously to fight tears away. " Oh honey, I'm sorry, but… Kai isn't here right now", she replied, voice cracking. Seeing his eyes flash with disappointment and sadness, she gently stroke his cheek. " Go back to sleep. It'll make you feel better."

Dimitrei gave a small nod, and in a matter of seconds his eyes fluttered shut. As soon as he was sound asleep, Dara buried her face into her hands and cried.

* * *

It was late in the evening when Kenny found Emily sitting on a small bench outside the building. She was so deep in thought that she didn't notice him until he took a seat next to her. " Hi", he said, not really knowing what to say to a girl. " I… I can go, if…"

Emily shook her head, not looking at him. " No, stay." She sighed. " I think I've been sitting here alone long enough."

There was a silence, during which Kenny tried desperately to think of something to say. " Look, Em, I… I'm sorry that you lost your Trygator." He paused for a while. " But we'll get her back, you know?"

She smiled slightly. " Yeah, I know." She blinked her eyes. " And Kai, too, just like the last time." She lowered her gaze to her feet, not sure if she should continue. Eventually she decided to go ahead; this was Kenny she was talking to. She could tell him anything. " You know… When our teams first met, I think I had this stupid little… crush on him", she confessed. Admitting that was a huge step for her; never before had she dared to talk about her feelings to anyone. It was a sign of ultimate trust.

Obviously not knowing her thoughts, Kenny felt his heart grow heavy. " Oh." It was painful, almost impossible to breathe, let alone speak, but he did so anyhow. " Do you still…?" He trailed off.

Emily shook her head. " No. He just…" She frowned, considering her words carefully. " I can't handle what I don't understand, and he's one of those things. But he's still a friend, despite the mistakes he's made. I miss him."

Feeling a huge wave of relief flood through him, Kenny nodded. It took a while before he found words to speak. " I miss him too." For a long moment they sat in peaceful, understanding silence, until he went on, slight hesitance in his tone. " You know that I'll be there for you, right? I… I mean… We're friends, and… Well, I want to help you." He blinked his eyes, furiously trying to figure out how to carry on, what to say. Gosh, he'd always been so horrible in situations that required social skills! " I know that I probably don't have any idea of how much losing a bit-beast hurts, but still… I want to support you, in every way I possibly can."

Smiling just a little, Emily nodded. " I know. Thanks." First time since he'd sat down, she looked at him, seeming confused. " Why are you so keen on helping me?"

Kenny knew that would've been a perfect chance to reveal all he was secretly feeling towards the girl, but… When he opened his mouth to speak, no words would come out. Eventually, he managed to croak out only three wheezing words. " Because… I care." He then looked at her, feeling huge weight in his chest. " Is it wrong?"

The smile that passed slightly blushing Emily's lips told that she knew what he'd been _supposed to_ say. She shook her head. " No. It isn't wrong at all."

After that they both lifted their gazes to the stars above, losing themselves into their beauty. Hardly even noticing it, Kenny let his hand slowly crawl towards Emily's. She blinked her eyes in confusion and blushed even more than before as she felt Kenny's gentle squeeze on her hand. Soon enough, however, she recovered and returned the gesture with a smile upon her face.

* * *

As hours went by without any clues of Kai, the gang decided that it would be wiser to stay in America for one night than fly back home.

Max didn't know what power led him as he quietly pushed open the door that lead onto the roof of the building. However, the last thing he'd expected to find was Tyson sitting on a ledge, eyes staring dully at some spot in distance.

Max knew that Tyson hadn't heard him coming. He could've easily just turned around and walked away; perhaps he even should've done so. But… For some reason that was beyond him, his legs stubbornly moved him towards Tyson. " What are you doing outside?" he asked rather softly while taking a seat beside the boy. " It's freezing out here."

Almost like waking up from some kind of a dream, Tyson blinked, seeming surprised. " Is it?" the boy asked softly, detachedly, not looking at him.

As silence fell over them, Max gave the bluenette a sideways-glance. For a long time, Tyson had somewhat managed to keep up this façade of strength and courage, only cracking up during those bitter fights he'd had. It wasn't until now Max truly saw just how much the Japanese was hurting. And, despite everything that had happened, all the horrible things they'd said to each other, Max's heart still reacted with a tremendous ache when he saw how lost and pained Tyson's eyes were.

Back when they were… closer, Tyson had always protected him, taken care of him. Even with all they'd been through, Max couldn't just forget that. And that's why did something he'd never thought he'd do again.

Tyson jumped slightly – more in surprise than frighten – when he suddenly wrapped his other arm protectively around the boy's painfully slender form, pulling the cold, shivering teen closer. Confusion written all over his face, Tyson looked at him, but Max silenced any considered questions with a determined shake of head. He didn't want to talk, nor did he want them to advance any further. All he wanted was Tyson to know that the boy wasn't alone.

Eyes filled with gratitude, Tyson exhaustedly leaned his head against his shoulder, allowing his weary midnight-blue eyes to rest. In response, Max tightened his hold on the practically frozen boy, mentally scolding the other for not being smart enough to take a jacket.

Neither knew for how long they'd just sat in silence until Max decided that he'd have to get Tyson inside. " We need to go know, 'k?" he whispered, gently stroking the other's blue bangs without even noticing it. " Before you'll freeze to death."

Probably too exhausted to speak, Tyson simply nodded, and Max was basically forced to pull the bluenette to his feet. As Tyson leaned against him, Max couldn't help inwardly wincing when realizing just how terrifyingly light the boy was.

They'd walked in silence for a long time when Tyson suddenly spoke. " Max…" The voice was small, almost weak, filled with fatigue. " Would you stay? I… I don't want to be alone tonight."

This had to be a particularly bad day for the bluenette, Max realized. Would he really be cruel enough to leave Tyson alone?

Eyes stinging, he pulled the other boy closer to him, giving a small nod. After that, nothing more was said.

* * *

After most of the gang had already gone to bed after long, hopeless investigations, a small group gathered onto a little, beautiful hill nearby. Stars and moon were the only lights they needed as they begun a small ceremony.

As days passed, the former Abbey-kids begun to realize that there was a huge, important thing they'd forgotten to do. When Voltaire and Boris destroyed the Abbey, and even before that, they'd lost a huge amount of people they'd cared a lot about. Friends, relatives, loved ones… But they hadn't done a thing to respect their memory, to say goodbye. Now, it was time to correct that mistake.

When Tala, Bryan and Nadja begun to unpack the huge package of candles and photographs they'd taken along, Alissa and confused Ray stood aside. " I know that this might be a bit confusing, but I'm glad you wanted to come along", Alissa whispered, then looked at Ray. " Why did you come?"

Smiling, Ray looked at her, golden eyes shining in the dim light. " Because I want to know this part of you", he explained quietly. " I want to know all about you, good and bad."

She was just about to reply when Bryan's voice interrupted her. " Lissa, we're ready."

She nodded, then looked at Ray. " Don't hesitate to ask anything if you feel like it, 'k?" After receiving a nod of understanding from the neko-jin, she walked up to the others – and felt her heart jolt as she saw all the pictures of people who were now lost. All those lives Voltaire and Boris had taken…

The pictures that were scattered before them were taken from Voltaire's files Bryan had gotten his hands on to before escaping the Abbey with Tala. Under every photograph there was a name, most of them people Alissa didn't know as she hadn't spent that much time in the Abbey.

For every name one candle was lighted, and eventually came the faces Alissa did recognise. A tear slid down her face.

_Spencer Karask_ (A/N: If you know Spencer's real last name, let me know! This is my own doing.)

_Ian Papov_

Nadja was crying harder than Alissa had ever seen her as she brushed the picture of Ivan with her fingers. " Goodbye…", Nadja whispered in Russian, and didn't resist when Tala held her gently, whispering some words of comfort the others couldn't hear.

Next picture was one of a boy with midnight-blue Mohawk, nose-piecing and weird, deep grey eyes, one of which was obviously a glass-one. _Theo Karask_

Lighting a candle, Bryan let a small, sad laughter, looking at the piercing. " Voltaire nearly killed him for that one, remember?"

Also smiling sadly, Nadja nodded, wiping away tears that came back straight away. " Yeah. It was the wildest thing anyone in the Abbey dared to do." She then grew solemn. " It cost him an eye, though."

There was a picture of a girl with shoulder-length hair, that was dyed black from top and white from bottom, and warm maroon eyes, decorated with a lot of makeup. _Lori Aleksandrovna_

Tears were in both Alissa and Tala's eyes as they lit a candle together, gently placing it before the picture. " Goodbye, cousin", Alissa whispered.

Tala brushed the picture with his fingers. " We miss you."

The last picture was of a girl with long, wavy brown hair and piercing auburn eyes. _Jelena Hiwatari_

As soon as he saw the picture, Bryan broke down into tears, first time they had ever seen him. The boy's entire body was shuddering as he buried his face into his hands, unable to stop crying. " Oh damn…"

Sighing, Alissa gave him a sympathetic look. " Oh, Bryan…"

She tried to touch him to give him some comfort, but Bryan brushed the hand away. His hand was still trembling slightly as he wiped his tears away, seeming embarrassed. " I just miss her so much."

Alissa nodded, smiling sadly. " I know."

For quite a long time later the ceremony was over. Quietly saying goodnight, Tala and Nadja started to walk back towards the building, leaving Alissa, Bryan and Ray behind.

Slightly hesitantly, not wanting to be considered as an intruder, Ray stepped forward, looking at the pictures. " You don't have to talk about it, but… I'd like to know who these people were", he told them gently, cautiously.

" I think talking would do good", Alissa replied, smiling slightly, sad eyes on the pictures as well. " Besides, I don't want them to be forgotten." She looked at Bryan. " Is it okay with you?"

Bryan nodded, seeming slightly dazed, unable to take his eyes away from the picture of Jelena. " 'K."

" Alright then." Alissa gently took the picture of Theo. " Theo Karask, Spencer's older brother."

* * *

/ _Eight-years old Spencer had never been as scared as he was when stood in front of a bey-dish, ready to launch his blade. But the fear wasn't for himself; he was terrified of what he might be forced to do to his brother standing opposite him. Had Boris and Voltaire's eyes not been on them, he would've ran away. But as there was no other choice… He launched his blade, hands shaking, and immediately called for his beast. " SEABORG!" _

" _VENBORG!" Theo called his own beast, eyes filled with worry for Spencer._

_Although Spencer's whale-beast was strong, it was no match against the huge, black cougar attacking against it. Both he and Theo knew that. And seeing the look in his brother's eyes, Spencer was terrified that the boy would do something stupid to save him from the punishment of defeat._

" _Seaborg, VODA IMPACT!" Spencer roared._

" _Venborg, SATURN'N ZEPHYR!"_

_The blades collided and shot up towards the roof, disappearing from view. As they fell back after a long flight, both landed on the opposite edges of the dish, spinning there unsteadily. Spencer sighed quietly in relief as his blade successfully returned to the dish – but his heart jumped into his throat as Theo's blade fell onto the floor. According to the look in his big-brother's grey eyes, the defeat wasn't an accident. Spencer's eyes widened with horror as he realized what was going to happen._

_Oh no…_

" _So, Theo", Voltaire stated slowly, dangerously, getting up. " You lost."_

_Not showing any emotions, Theo looked at the man and nodded. " Yes, sir."_

" _I afraid that with this and your yesterday's loss against that… Jax from Blade Enigma… I have no further use for you", Voltaire continued, eyes horrifyingly dark._

_Spencer let out a loud gasp before he cold stop himself. " No, don't! You can't do it!" He tried to dart towards the man, but before he ever got there Boris' irony hold stopped him. " You bastard! I am going to kill you for this!"_

_Theo didn't seem anything but confident and determined as the boy looked at him, shaking his head. " Spence, don't. It's okay. I can take care of myself."_

" _NO!" Tears streaming down his cheeks, Spencer tried to fight back with all his life-force as Boris begun to drag him towards the door, but the man's hold was unwavering. " Theo! NO! Voltaire, don't do this! You sick fuck, leave my brother alone!"_

_With that Boris had managed to drag him out of the room. When the door closed, he screamed louder than ever in his life as a gunshot was heard from the inside, followed by a thud as Theo fell dead._ /

* * *

" Spencer never forgave himself for Theo's death", Bryan finished the story quietly, now looking at the picture of Spencer. " That was the biggest reason to why he turned out to be the way he did." He sighed. " After Theo's death, he wouldn't speak a word, and eventually Voltaire sent him into this… training-camp. When he came back, he was the person you met in the Russian tournament."

Ray nodded solemnly, feeling deeply shocked. Of course he'd known that Boris and especially Voltaire were cruel, but… He'd grown in a small, isolated village. Evils like this had never before crossed his path, he hadn't gotten used to things like this. After recovering from the worst shock for a while, he pointed another picture. " What about her?"

" Lori Aleksandrova", Alissa whispered, barely managing to fight back her tears. " I and Tala's cousin."

" And Ian's huge crush", Bryan filled in. " But that love-story never came to pass."

" Why?" Ray asked quietly, signalling that Bryan didn't have to go on if he didn't want to.

" Because there was someone else she loved. Someone who's heart she could've never had."

* * *

/ _It was the first time anyone had ever attempted to escape from the Abbey. There was a group of seven teenagers, some at the age of eleven, some twelve: Kai, Dara, Tala, Bryan, Ian, Jelena and Lori. They had already passed most of the gates and managed to avoid causing an alarm. All had concentrated looks upon their faces as they came to the last iron-gate, where they had to wait for a while as two guards walked by. With the duo gone, Kai, who was unofficially leading the group, begun whispering. " Jelena, did you get the code?" The girl was the only one Voltaire even remotely trusted on, and therefore it had been her job to get the security-code for the door to freedom._

_She nodded, then begun rattling numbers. " 5-3-6-2-5-2."_

_The heavy door slid open, and one by one the gang slipped through. Just as they were almost out, a high-pitched alarm-sound filled the whole building, making the entire hallway flash red._

" _Oh crap…"_

" _Run!" Kai hollered. " The guards will be here any moment!"_

_Terrified, the gang ran for their lives towards the last door that was between them and the outside world. Bryan, who was the first one there, fell pale as he pushed the door with all his might – and it didn't even shutter. " Oh shit…", he muttered, looking at them with widened eyes. " It must've locked up when the alarm went off."_

_They turned around again, ready to run, but before they could even move the guards were right in front of them. " Fire!"_

_Screams of terror were sounded as the gang ran once again. Kai was almost out of the fire-line when someone suddenly pushed him down to the floor, landing heavily on top of him. At the same moment he heard his grandfather's yell. " Seize the fire, damnit! Don't you idiots see who you are shooting at!"_

_Ignoring the man's voice that caused him shivers of disgust, Kai slowly shifted around to see who'd slumped on top of him. He frowned in confusion when meeting Lori's face. She was obviously just barely managing to keep her eyes open. " L – Lori? What…?" His question was interrupted as she promptly fell limp, and he let out a terrified gasp when seeing all the blood on her back, caused by a bullet that'd been meant for him. " LORI! NO!" But she was beyond hearing anything anymore._ /

* * *

" Lori knew that already then, she wasn't the one who had that special place in Kai's heart. But she still saved his life with sacrificing hers." Bryan sighed miserably, shaking his head. " Ian was never the same after that day."

It was hard for Ray to suppress all the hatred growing inside of him. So many had died because of Voltaire and Boris, and now… God only knew what they'd done to Kai, and even Dara, who was most likely his lackey. He remained silent for a while, hands clenched into tight fists, eyes squinted in hatred he would've never imagined could live inside of him. Eventually the worst rush of emotions passed, and he was once again in control over himself. He chose yet another picture, though he knew that it would only increase his anger. " And she?"

Never before had anyone witnessed such a variety of feelings upon Bryan's face they had as he looked at the picture, shivering uncontrollably, tears rolling without him even noticing it. Alissa whispered something to him in Russian, and after receiving a scarcely audible reply spoke to Ray, seeming deeply sad. " Jelena Hiwatari", she explained quietly. " Voltaire's daughter." She gave Bryan a quick look. " And the one person Bryan loves over everything."

* * *

/ _No matter how hard he tried to fight it, Bryan felt tears streaming down his cheeks as he watched – along with all other Abbey-kids, as this was a part of their lesson – the match between Jelena and Firo, one of the most advanced students in the Abbey. " GIREIL! POISON SABRE!" Jelena bravely ordered her beast – a magnificent fox in colour of fire and gold – though she was losing badly. But still, barely standing up and bleeding much more than Bryan bared to see, she seemed to be filled with fire and determination. Bryan could understand why, and the thought made his heart hurt with immense guilt._

_Before the match, Jelena had suggested Voltaire that should she win, he would undo the horrible punishments sentenced for Bryan because of his loss in a big match the day before. (Bryan had been eavesdropping the conversation.) Voltaire had reluctantly given his accord, but told Jelena to fight for only as long as she was up to it; Firo was one of the Abbey's most powerful creations, a soldier with no emotions at all, a creature that could barely be described as a human-being. Already then Bryan had known that Jelena wouldn't give up before she'd win, fall unconscious or worse._

" _SPIRO! Finish her!" Firo roared, calling for his beast. " VAPORISING BLADE!" His beast – a dark-shaded elephant, upgraded with a lot of extremely sharp blades, that would've caused anyone cold shivers – immediately let out a roar and stormed towards Gireil._

_Unable to hold himself back, Bryan bounced standing up, still crying, and screamed without even noticing it. " NO!"_

_Not bearing to look at the attack that would surely leave many injuries beyond healing, Bryan squeezed his eyes tightly shut, tears still escaping from them. He heard the bit-beasts roaring, and Gireil's yelp of immense pain. Then… It became dead-silent. Slowly, afraid to death of what he might see, he slid his eyes open. Jelena's golden blade had been pushed off the dish, completely shattered, but she was still standing tall, shivering all over and terribly battered, perhaps even fatally. Bryan almost dared to breath again when… Gasps ran through the entire audience as Jelena finally gave in and fell, laying motionless. Firo gave her one look, then snorted in distaste and walked away, not even once looking back._

_Tears ran even harder across Bryan's cheeks. " Jelena… No…" He darted forward, far beyond caring about what Voltaire and Boris might do to him if they should find out how much he cared about Jelena. He had to get to her, he couldn't lose her…_

_But he wasn't on time. The medics of the Abbey had already lifted Jelena onto stretchers. Suddenly her eyes opened slightly, and – though it must've hurt like hell and required all the strength she still had – she shifted her head, and their gazes locked. He was just and just close enough to hear her whisper. " Bry…"_

" _I'm here, Jelena. I will never leave you", he whispered back. I love you. But before he ever got to say the last thought, Jelena lost her consciousness and she was carried out of the hall. Bryan was just about to follow when a hand landed roughly onto his shoulder, holding him still. Ready to scold the one who kept him away from the girl he loved, the girl he might lose at any moment, he turned his head – but all words were caught into his throat._

_Voltaire's eyes were completely black from hatred and disgust as the man looked at him. " I don't have any idea of why she did something like this for a pathetic filth like you", the man spoke through gritted teeth. " But I promise you, if I will lose my only daughter because of you, you will suffer a hell beyond your wildest imaginations." With that, the man walked away._ /

* * *

" I've never seen Jelena since", Bryan whispered, tears still rolling, eyes on the picture of the girl he loved more than anything else. " I don't even know if she made it. Voltaire would never tell me." Tears slid down his cheeks as he bowed his head in shame. " After that… I let Voltaire and Boris do to me anything they wanted to – I didn't care about my life anymore. There was nothing left for me to fight for." He looked at Ray with pain-filled, teary eyes, every fibre of his being radiating remorse. " After I lost her, I allowed them to turn me into that monster which almost killed you during our last battle." He sobbed, burying his face into his trembling hands. " Gosh, I'm so sorry…" Alissa wrapped her other arm around the boy as he broke down completely.

" Jelena was the only one Voltaire has ever cared about", Alissa explained quietly to Ray. " While I was looking for clues on Tala's whereabouts, I also tried to find her. But all I know for sure is that after that day, Voltaire has visited this grave, same day every year, and brought a single red rose." She sighed, shaking her head. " I can't think of anyone else who's grave he'd visit but Jelena."

Silence fell upon them.

It wasn't until Ray wordlessly watched to horrifying pain Bryan was in he finally begun to realized that this… _boy_ before him was just that. Not a monster, not an enemy, not a lackey of Voltaire's. Just a boy who'd for all his life lost everything he'd dared to care about.

And though he'd some months earlier swore that he'd never forgive Bryan for what the Russian had done to him, a silent tear slid down his cheek.

Hours later, after Bryan had already pretty much calmed down, Ray begun to feel sleep wanting to claim him. He gave a deep yawn while stretching. " I think I'm going to bed. Goodnight."

" Night", came two tired replies.

As Ray slowly walked towards the building they were staying in, his fingers suddenly met Kai's beyblade he'd been keeping in his pocket ever since the boy's disappearance. Suddenly, tears weren't far from his eyes. A bang of pain came to his chest as he wondered if Kai would soon also be just a distant memory, like all those people whose lives the Abbey had claimed. His eyes were shining as he lifted them towards the stars above. " I miss you, we all do", he whispered. " Please, come back to us. Please…"

After Ray left, it was silent for a while between Bryan and Alissa. Eventually Bryan spoke. " You really like that cat-boy, don't you?"

A light blush came to Alissa's cheeks as she nodded. " Yeah, I think I do."

He smiled, brushing her hair to force her to look at him. " It's alright with me, you know?" He hummed. " I know that we have our past, but… As you said, I've only ever cared about Jelena that way. You have to make your own choices, and you definitely deserve someone who loves you, and who you can give your heart to." He smirked. " Who knows, maybe Ray is that person to you."

Smiling warmly, Alissa rested her head against the shoulder of her friend, taking his hand and giving it a squeeze. " Thanks", she whispered.

A silent 'hn' was her only reply, and after that nothing more was said between them.

* * *

From not too far away, burgundy eyes watched the couple sitting before the candles and pictures. He frowned.

Why is it that they're so familiar?

Kai couldn't understand. He'd never seen these people before, but still… In his heart, he knew that he would've wanted to be with them.

He was confused. And more than anything else, he hated being confused.

" Is there a problem, grandson?" his grandfather's familiar husky voice suddenly asked as the man stood beside him.

A huge wave of disgust went through him when the man's hand reached out to touch him, and he would've wanted to break the elder's jaw as he felt his hair being brushed. Unfortunately, that damn… thing inside of him wouldn't allow him such pleasure – never did, no matter what his grandfather did to him. Not looking at the man, he shook his head. " No." It took for a few seconds before he could fight away a urge to throw up when he heard the lust and hunger in the elder's voice, knew what was going to happen that night. " What's going on?"

" After you have been given your injection and we have performed… the chore, we travel to Spain, then China", his grandfather announced. " There you will meet your next opponent that should offer some challenge."

His eyebrow arched. " Who would it be?"

" The White Tigers."

* * *

That same night, Dr. Sparov once again dialled Boris' numbers. " I just called to report that the situation is under control."

" _Excellent. Voltaire will be pleased._"

He held a small pause, taking a long inhale of his cigarette. He blew the smoke out through his nose. " What should I do with the girl?"

" _She isn't needed anymore, and frankly, she's become… rather dangerous to us_", Boris replied in a toneless voice. " _As soon as you possibly can, get rid of her. Before she manages to destroy all our plans._"

He nodded, no emotions seen in his eyes. " I'll make sure she won't cause trouble", he replied, drawing in the intoxicating scent of his cigarette. " After all, I didn't develop the cyber-implants to have them go wasted."

Behind the door, Dr. Pereshov – who'd heard the phone-call – frowned in deep confusion.

_What the hell's going on!_

* * *

TBC.

* * *

A/N: Uh-huh… So, the White Tigers are next? Will the others be on time to stop Kai? And what about Dara and Dimitrei…?

Hope you'll stick around for the next chapter – 21 already! And **PLEASE**, do review!

(Btw, a minor, interesting detail… The Jax – from Blade Enigma – mentioned in this chapter is indeed the one you already know. Small world, huh?)


	21. Traces of the Phoenix

A/N: Hi again! Up with another chapter.

As always, thank you **so much** for your amazing reviews! You can't even imagine how much they mean to me! (sends huge hugs) And it's particularly important to me that you like my OC's, since this my first ever OC-attempt. So... Your encouragement **is** important!

Okay, okay, on with the story. (This was pretty much my shortest a/n ever!) Hope you enjoy!

* * *

CHAPTER 21: Traces of the Phoenix

Staying in the Spanish BBA-headquarters, the gang – though they were less than willing to admit it – was exhausted.

Tracking down Kai Hiwatari was a much harder task than any of them had expected it to be.

Suffocating due to the thick atmosphere of fatigue lingering in the room where the group was currently staying in, Max quietly sneaked out, searching for a quiet, private spot. Eventually he found his way out of the building, and took a seat on a bench nearby the entrance. Relieved for the moment of peace, he closed his eyes and leaned back, allowing his thoughts to wander.

He had no idea of for how long he'd been sitting there – most likely over an hour – when he jumped slightly to the loud sound of his cell-phone's dial-tone. After recovering from the shock for a moment, he picked it up. " Y – yeah?"

There was a small, familiar laughter. " _Why do you sound like you've just received a phone-call from a ghost?_" came Jax's deeply amused voice. " _Did I wake you?_"

Smiling slightly, Max blinked his eyes and rubbed his face with one hand. " I suppose you could say that…", he murmured. " How's the packing going?"

" _If trashing half of my belongings can be called success, then I'm doing a great job_", the boy replied gravely. " _I called you to get an excuse to take a little break._"

Max snorted. " Geez, I'm flattered."

There was a short silence, during which Max suddenly realized that he still hadn't made his decision of going to America. He gulped nervously, running a hand through his hair. " Jax…"

" _Max, you don't have to know yet_", Jax immediately cut in, almost like reading his mind. " _I'm not going anywhere, you know?_"

Max's eyes filled with misery. " What now halfway across the world…"

" _Max, I will be waiting. America will be waiting_", the boy once again interrupted him, voice filled with sincerity. " _The last thing I want is you ending up regretting something you did because of me._"

Max smiled slightly. " Jax…" His mouth opened a couple of times without voice, desperately attempting to form words. Eventually only one pushed through. " Thanks."

" _Oh, quit the sappiness. It doesn't suit you_", Jax commanded him with a small laughter. There was a small, warm silence. " _I've gotta go now. Just… Hang in there, 'k? You'll find new traces of Kai sooner or later._"

" I know", Max replied softly. It took for a while before he spoke again. " I'll call you tomorrow."

" _Roger that. Goodnight, blondie._"

Max smiled. " 'Night."

* * *

It took for a long while before Max finally felt like returning to the room where the other group-members were. He found the exhausted, yet steely-determined gang going through huge piles of different kinds of papers – maps, notes, everything imaginable.

" Where do you think they're going next?" Tyson asked from Kenny. Thankfully, it seemed the bluenette hadn't noticed his momentary absence.

" There's no pattern", the computer-whiz replied, typing on Dizzi. He paused to yawn and rub his face with both hands. " They could be going absolutely anywhere."

" Getting tired, are we?" Dizzi bleeped.

Kenny made a growl. " Not now, Dizzi."

" Geez, don't take it all out on me!" Dizzi sounded hurt. " My keypad is almost on fire, you know?"

Kenny sighed. " Sorry, but things are kinda… intense right now."

All of a sudden Ray, who was almost asleep with Alissa leaning against him, felt something burning him. With a frown he took out Dranzer, and immediately dropped it with a small yelp. The blade was glowing and unbearably hot.

Gasping, everyone gathered around the blade. It begun to glow brighter, almost like Dranzer was trying to get out.

" What on Earth…!" Max gasped.

" I think Dranzer is trying to tell us something", Ray murmured, staring at the blade with wide eyes.

And just as the words left Ray's lips, the blade seemed to light up like a torch when the magnificent phoenix emerged with a deafening cry, spreading it's wings in all their glory.

" Holy damn…", Tyson gasped, eyes huge. After a moment of hesitation, he begun to approach the bird, unable to hold himself back. It felt almost like the phoenix was calling him. " Dranzer…"

" Don't touch her", came Tala's order.

Tyson had a frown upon his face as he turned to look at Tala. " Why not? If she's trying to tell us something…"

" You won't be able to touch her, unless you want to get your hand fried up. Trust me, I've tried many times, and it has never ended prettily", Tala cut in. " Only Kai can touch her without getting burned."

But Tyson had never been one to listen very well. Before anyone had time to stop him, he was standing right before Dranzer. " By lake Baikal… you trusted me enough to let me blade with you, remember? You did it to get Kai back. Now… Would you trust me again?" He begun to reach his hand towards the red feathers, but suddenly froze in movement. No. This wasn't the right way. He let his hand drop, waiting for Dranzer's response.

Everyone in the room subconsciously held their breaths as Dranzer turned her gaze, staring into Tyson's eyes, searching. A gasp left Tyson's lips as the eyes, filled with all the wisdom and pain they'd gathered during the centuries Dranzer had spent on Earth, searched through his soul, seemed to see every single one of his most hidden thoughts. And suddenly, looking without fear into the very much familiar burgundy depths, Tyson realized: Kai had those same eyes, the ones that could see everything. Kai and Dranzer… They were the same, they were one. And therefore, just like Kai, Dranzer would never hurt him.

It seemed that both Tyson and the phoenix were under some sort of a spell as they acted simultaneously, Tyson reaching out his hand and Dranzer bowing her head, both showing deep trust towards one another. And as Tyson's hand touched the feathers, he felt no burning, but instead met the same trust Kai had showed him when taking his hand on the ice of lake Baikal. Trust of a friend. His eyes were stinging as his lips formed a small, genuine smile of gratitude. " Thank you", he whispered.

Everyone else gasped as they watched the scenario. " I can't believe this…", Bryan managed to utter.

" How are you not getting burned?" Nadja blurted out, blinking her eyes in disbelief.

" I… I just don't know", Tyson murmured, seeming dazed as he stroked Dranzer's feathers.

' _Tyson_'. At first, Tyson thought he was imagining the feminine voice echoing inside his head, but then realized that it was actually Dranzer.

He blinked in confusion and disbelief. Rattled as he was, he gradually managed to speak. " Y – yeah?"

The others, as they couldn't hear Dranzer's voice, watched with growing confusion as Tyson spoke to what seemed to be no one. " Um… Do you guys think that's alarming?" Nadja inquired.

" I've alwaystried to say thatTyson could use a visit or two to a shrink", Tala stated.

Tyson paid no attention to the others as all he could hear was Dranzer's voice. ' _I need you to give me a map, but please hurry. I can't be out of my blade for long without being called out_'.

Nodding, Tyson quickly did as ordered, returning with a map of world. He spread it before the phoenix. " Can you tell us where Kai is?" he asked, voice lazed with hope.

Dranzer gave something that seemed like a nod. ' _Yes. I can sense Master at all times_'. The phoenix leaned forward. ' _Would you please step back? I don't want to harm you_'.

" 'K", Tyson responded, retreating some steps.

Several gasps were heard when Dranzer light into a flame, and folded her burning wings over the map. As the wings were removed, they could see the map burning for a while, but then the fire died, leaving the map almost unharmed.

" Impossible…", Kenny whispered.

' _I afraid this is all I can do for you_', Dranzer told Tyson. ' _I must go now, but before I do… Thank you for helping Master_'.

" Of course we help him", Tyson stated, throat tightening. Just as Dranzer was almost back in her blade, a sudden thought came to his mind. " Dranzer, wait! I need to ask you something."

' _Yes?_'

He had to search for right words for a while. " Why… Why do you trust me?" He'd been yearning to get to ask that same question from Kai ever since lake Baikal. Perhaps… Perhaps now he would finally understand.

If it's possible for birds to smile, Tyson could've sworn Dranzer did. ' _Because both Master and I have seen the beauty of your soul, Tyson. He would trust his life into your hands, and so would I. Besides, I can see that you want him back just as much as I do_'. The bird was almost inside the blade. ' _But now… You must hurry. I afraid time is running out_'. With that, she was gone.

For a long moment they all stared at the blade, speechless.

Ray was the one to break the silence. " That was…" He couldn't find a proper word.

" … weird", Alissa filled, dazed.

Some time later, after the biggest shock had faded, curiosity took the best of them, and the gang walked up to the map to see which place Dranzer had pointed out. A small burn-mark she'd left showed a place in China.

After a while, Ray gasped loudly as he realized that the place wasn't just any part of China. It was his home-village! " Oh my God…", he whispered. " The White Tigers…"

* * *

Mariah, who'd been practising in the night, suddenly froze and called her blade back as she felt that she was no longer alone. Her cat's-eyes squinted as she gazed the area, but saw nothing. " Who's there?" she demanded in Chinese, preparing herself to fight.

After a while, the silvery light of the moon revealed a figure as it stepped out of the shadows. Actually, the figure – a boy – itself was almost as dark as the shadows with the all-black clothes, long hair and face-paint. The only thing that separated him from his background were his somehow familiar, auburn eyes and the pendant hanging around his neck.

She frowned, not liking the way he was looking at her. " Who are you?"

" It doesn't matter." The voice that spoke in Chinese… It was harsh, but still… There was something familiar in it. The boy prepared his launcher. " This matters."

Mariah knew how crazy it was, how great the cost could be, but she wasn't going to back down. She prepared her own pink blade. " Okay then." She steeled herself. " 3… 2… 1… LET IT RIP!"

As the blades were shot onto the dish, Mariah let out a suppressed gasp as she recognized the black blade the boy was using. That same blade had once taken away her beloved bit-beast.

But how…? How could it be Black Dranzer? Only one blader could use it.

Unless…

With a frown, she looked at the boy opposing her, searching for his eyes, the ones that had been so familiar to her. He looked back at her, eyes cold and challenging. " What?" he snapped.

She gasped, and this time it was loud. Her head was spinning.

This boy. Looking into his eyes that were now so different from what they had been, she knew.

" Kai?"

Kai looked at the girl that had been introduced to him as Mariah, feeling a mixture of anger and confusion. He didn't like it when people he had no memory of seemed to know him. Besides, stealing bit-beasts was excruciating enough even when he was forced to do it to people he didn't know. " Concentrate on the battle", he ordered harshly.

Mariah could barely hear Kai's words as she studied him with her gaze. Gods how he had changed! Despite his muscles, it was easy to see that he'd lost a lot of weight. And even in the dim light, it was easy to see the already mending bruises on his face, the one particularly nasty scar on his cheek seemed so deep that it would never heal. And those eyes… Whenever she'd seen him battling with Dranzer, there'd been fire and passion in them, like the beast and her master had become one. Now all she could see was coldness and emptiness. It seemed that there was no more Kai beneath the exterior.

" What happened to you?" she whispered.

Suddenly, her entire concentration was ripped back to the battle again as Kai summoned the dark bit-beast. " BLACK DRANZER!"

_Oh shit…_

She knew perfectly what was against her. That beast could crush her. But still, she refused to give up. Gritting her teeth, she readied herself for the hardest battle in her life. " GALLUX!"

* * *

In the Siberian clinic, Pereshov rubbed his face with both hands in exhaustion. Taking care of Dara and Dimitrei day and night out was seriously taking its toll. Well, at least Dimitrei was doing better…

All of a sudden, he stopped walking with a deep frown upon his face, staring at the trashcan about two steps before him. " Am I seeing things…?" he murmured, bending closer – and gave a gasp of utter shock and betrayal, blue eyes widening. " Oh my God… Sparov…"

There, on the bottom of the trashcan, laid the notes he'd given to his friend. As he kept staring at the papers in absolute disbelief, a dark wave of understanding washed over him.

Sparov had never called the police, nor tried to contact Mr. Dickinson. His friend… had betrayed him, perhaps even worse.

Suddenly, a familiar voice came from behind him. " Oh Pereshov, you really shouldn't have found those. Curiosity killed a cat, you see?"

Turning his head, eyes burning, he saw Sparov standing behind him. And for a first time, he understood that the face he was looking at weren't ones of a friend. " Why the hell did you do it?" he almost roared. " I… I don't understand…"

Cruel smirk he'd never seen before came to Sparov's face, grey eyes were filled with something sinister. " You were a useful business-partner, Pereshov. But my real boss pays me a great deal better than you do." Before he could even move, Sparov had plunged a needle meant for Dara into his neck. " Now… you will never interfere into my plans again."

For a moment their eyes locked, Pereshov's shining with rage and betrayal, Sparov's with something so dark it would've chilled anyone. And then Pereshov's world turned black.

For a moment Sparov looked at his fallen friend, then gave a despising sound. " Pathetic", he declared, turned around and begun to walk towards Dara's room.

* * *

The group – even Tyson – ran faster than ever in their lives as they made their way towards the room where Mr. Dickinson and the local BBA-president, Juan Marcinelli, were having a meeting with some other BBA- hot shots.

This time, they couldn't afford being late. The price… would be too high.

All adults in the room startled as the teenagers barged in. " What's the meaning of this?" Juan asked, sounding deeply irritated.

" Shouldn't you be resting?" Mr. D asked with a deep frown.

" This is important!" Tyson told them, ignoring the comments. " We know where Kai is!"

Mr. D's eyes widened. " W – What!"

" He's going toattack onthe White Tigers!" Ray exclaimed, face pale, eyes widened with terror. " We've gotta stop him, or they'll destroy each other!"

* * *

Lee woke up from his sleep as he heard a distant scream. He almost pushed it aside, thinking it was just another dream, when he suddenly recognized the voice.

_Mariah!_

Faster than he'd ever moved, he jumped into his clothes and, taking his blade with him, stormed outside, towards the spot where he knew Mariah loved to practice. What he saw made him freeze to spot and let out a loud gasp.

Mariah was on her knees on the ground, visibly shivering and eyes tightly shut, tears on her cheeks glittering in the moonlight. She seemed so bruised and cut that it caused a sick feeling forming in the pit of his stomach. All around the practice-dish and on the ground were pieces of her pink blade.

" Oh my God…", he whispered, the sound disappearing into the wind.

He didn't even notice her opponent before the dark figure, who'd had his back to him, turned around to face him. A growl escaped through his clenched teeth as he met the cold burgundy eyes. That bastard was going to pay…

" You came to join the party?" the boy asked in a voice that would've sounded familiar in Lee's ears, had he not been so blinded and deafened by rage.

Mariah's whisper never reached his ears. " Lee, no… Don't…."

Lee's eyes flashed. " I'll make you pay, you piece of shit… dearly", he hissed, pulling out his launcher.

* * *

Dara, who'd been sitting on her hospital-bed, jumped when the door suddenly opened. Body prepared to fight, she turned her head, but relaxed when noticing that it was just Dr. Sparov. " Time for injection", the man announced, preparing a needle.

Dara nodded, though with a small frown. " Dr. Sparov… Why are you giving me all these injections?" she asked the question that had been burdening her mind for a long time. " They make me feel so drowsy…"

" Nonsense", Dr. Sparov declared, starting to approach her with something chillingly familiar in his eyes. " Now… Just relax, and this won't hurt."

And just then, Dara gave a yelp of shock and frighten when a memory suddenly came to her mind. Her eyes were widened as she looked at the man, trembling from terrifying realization. " Sparov…", she gasped.

* * *

/ _In the darkness of the Abbey, seven-years-old Dara was shivering in her cold cell as the door opened, and a doctor of Voltaire's – a man with black hair and gray eyes – entered, holding a needle in his hand. " P – please… Don't…", she whispered, voice lazed with anguish and desperation._

_The man's eyes were filled with something dark as he approached her, smiling chillingly. " Don't worry, little-girl", the man whispered, almost stood before her. " Now… Just relax, and this won't hurt."_

_And still, it always hurt – a lot._ /

* * *

Dara gasped again, still trembling. " You… you work for Voltaire."

The doctor nodded, still approaching her with menacing eyes. " Yes, I do", he confirmed. " And now, my assignment is to get rid of you."

* * *

TBC.

* * *

A/N: Gaaaaaaaaaaaah! The suspension! Will the Bladebreakers find Kai before all the White Tigers – or Kai – will be trashed? And gosh, what's going to happen to Dara and Dimitrei?

Until next time, guys! And please, **please**, review!


	22. So close, so far

A/N: Hiiiiiiii, you all! Time for chappy 22! (Ungh, someone's hyper today…)

Yet again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for those amazing reviews! Do you guys have any idea of how valuable and dear you are to me? (sends huge bear-hugs)

Okay, as there's no specific… stuff to sort out, I suppose I'll better get on with the story. After all, you're probably more interested into reading the story than me rambling. (grins)

So, here comes the new chapter! I hope you all like!

* * *

CHAPTER 22: So close, so far

After the gang had broken the news of Kai's whereabouts, everything happened fast. Mr. Dickinson's private jet was prepared in a record-time, and as the trip towards China begun, they could only hope they weren't too late to prevent the approaching disaster.

The flight seemed to last for ages, and hardly a word was spoken during it as everyone drifted into their own thoughts. When they eventually landed, there were two limousines waiting for them.

" Do you guys think we'll be on time?" Max asked, fear evident in his stern eyes that had lost all the innocence they'd held in past.

No one could answer that one. All they knew was that if they wouldn't be on time, either Kai or the White Tigers would be crushed. And neither of the options pleased them.

* * *

In the Siberian clinic, Dara stared at Dr. Sparov approaching her with a needle, too paralyzed by shock to operate. Eventually her muscles became responsive to the furious commands of her brain, and she gave a low, dangerous growl. All the Abbey-training was kicking in. " You have no idea of how many nightmares you gave me, you piece of shit", she hissed. " Now, it's payback time."

Before the man ever realized she was moving, and kicked his stomach – hard. As he stumbled backwards, face filled with shock, she gave him a punch that made his head jerk sideways and some blood flood from his nose. A merciless smirk came to her features as he fell to the floor, unconscious. " You have no idea of for how long I've been waiting to see you down, asshole."

She knew that he wouldn't stay down for long; after all, Boris had trained him. Not bothering to give him another glance, she darted out of the room – wanting to get to Dimitrei as fast as possible – and gave a gasp when finding Dr. Pereshov from the hallway. The man was barely conscious, and after thinking for a moment she went up to him, helping him up. " Are you alright?" she asked.

" Yeah", he murmured, rubbing his face. By the time he met her gaze, his hawk-like eyes were sharp and alert. " Look, you have to go and get Dimitrei. I'll take care of that scumbag."

Dara frowned, not wanting to leave the man alone with the maniac. " Are you sure?"

" Positive." The man just then pulled out a gun, preparing it. " Once you've spent ten years serving in military, you'll be more than capable of handling one freak." He started to approach the room where she'd left Dr. Sparov. Before entering, he gave her a list of instructions, knowing that otherwise she wouldn't budge. " Fetch Dimitrei, and get out of here. There are some spare-jackets in my office, and there's also a cell-phone. Take those, and call for help. Do you understand?"

Giving a nod – still slightly hesitant – Dara kept running, knowing that he was right. If she really wanted this nightmare to end – for both her and especially Dimitrei – she'd have to do this.

Despite the slight fever she still had and the annoying throbbing on her nastily injured shoulder, she was by the door of Dimitrei's room in a matter of seconds. Throwing the door open, she gave a sigh of relief when noticing that – though he was far paler than he should've been, and still had red circles around his eyes – Dimitrei was awake, staring at the door with widened, slightly frightened eyes. " Dara?" he asked in a small, shaking voice. " What's wrong?"

Rushing up to him, she forced a smile, quickly beginning to detach the tubes running to him. " It's alright", she murmured, carefully picking him up and holding him protectively against her. She inwardly winced when noticing how warm he still was. " Everything's gonna work out…"

Nodding, he rested his head against her shoulder, holding on to her as tightly as he possibly could. " I'm tired…", he murmured quietly, sounding like he might doze off at any moment.

Dara had to work her hardest to keep panic away from her voice. " Dimi, sweetie, you can't go to sleep now, alright? We've gotta leave, so you have to stay awake."

He nodded weakly, obviously fighting desperately to keep his eyes open. " Okay."

She gently stroked his hair, attempting to soothe him despite her own panic. " Good."

Just then, there was a loud sound of gunshot that seemed to ran through the entire clinic. Dara had to press her hand against Dimitrei's mouth as the child started screaming in frighten, having heard that sound for far too many times before and knowing all too well what it meant. " Shh, shh…", she soothed quietly, feeling terror flood through her veins. There was a sound of glass breaking. " You must stay quiet now, okay? It'll be alright." As he responded with a nod, she slowly removed her hand from his mouth, feeling rivers of tears running down the child's cheeks. Feeling like crying herself, she looked around and spotted a small closet nearby. Beginning to approach it, she spoke to Dimitrei as calmly and steadily as she possibly could. " Dimi, I need you to be very brave now. I'll leave you into that closet for a while, and go to see what's going on up there, alright?"

" No, no, no!" Dimitrei yelped in absolute horror, clutching to her for dear life as she opened the closet-door and tried to put him in. Tears ran even harder down his pale cheeks. " If… if you leave, you're never coming back. Please don't leave me."

In some miraculous way, she managed to push a small smile onto her lips, and gently brushed Dimitrei's face. " Oh honey, I'll be right back. Nothing bad is going to happen to me, okay?"

Dimitrei gave a small, uncertain nod that clearly showed he wasn't believing her. Fighting away threatening tears, she soundlessly closed the closet-door and started to walk towards the room Dr. Pereshov had gone to, fearing worst…

The room was chillingly quiet once she got close to it. After standing behind the door for a while, debuting whether she should enter or not, she finally gathered all her courage, and quietly pushed the door open.

The large window of the room was shattered. Before the window curtains billowed ghostly, making a flapping sound that chilled her to bones. There was a small pool of blood on the floor, nearby where Dr. Pereshov was kneeled with his back towards her, holding his gun. She could hear the man taking deep, shuttering breaths. Dr. Sparov was nowhere to be seen.

It took for a long time before she managed to speak out. " Are you okay?" she almost whispered.

He nodded, and after a moment stood up, visibly shivering. " Yeah." By the time he faced her, he was completely composed. " I… I hit him on the shoulder, badly. He managed to escape, but I wouldn't expect him to come back." Slowly, a small smile came to his lips. " It's over now."

Those words made all the pressure inside Dara break lose. Completely losing control over herself, she broke down into hysterical sobs, and didn't object when the man held her comfortingly.

* * *

It seemed that the drive to Ray's home-village had taken for hours as the limousines finally pulled off, and the anxious teens rushed out, afraid of what they might find. Ray, as he naturally knew the place best, took the lead as he sprinted towards one of the houses. " Kevin? Gary?" When no reply came, he let out impressively long list of curses in Chinese, then dashed towards another house, fear evident in his eyes. " Mariah? Lee?" he called frantically, banging the door. Again, no reply.

With a loud gulp, he decided that he had more than enough of reason to trespass. As he opened the door, worry made his blood run cold.

" Oh no…"

They were too late. The duo had already left. And it was obvious that they'd been in a hurry.

Ray didn't even register the others entering the house as his thoughts raced. Where could they have gone? What…?

And then he remembered the old practice-dish in the woods.

" Where the heck are you going?" Tyson demanded as he ran.

" I'm not going to wait for you", he told them, and that was enough to convince the gang to follow him.

What they found was exactly what they'd feared most. All the White Tigers were defeated, their blades crushed, bit-beasts stolen.

" Oh man…", Bryan gasped.

" Are you guys alright?" Alissa asked while rushing over to check if they were injured.

" Do we look alright?" Mariah snapped, frustration, perhaps even jealousy, taking over. She roughly slapped Alissa's hand away when the girl tried to check up on her. (Which made Tala watching them tense and take a offensive stance, immediately prepared to defend his twin-sister.)

Ray's eyes squinted as he looked at his ex-girlfriend. " She's done nothing to hurt you, Mariah", he almost spat out.

And as he and Mariah's gazes met – both flaming, both unforgiving – it became very clear that there was no way things between them could go back to what they'd been in past. There was no way they could forget how much pain they'd brought on each other.

" Hey, Ray, chill!" Tyson calmed him, placing a hand onto his shoulder. " They've been through a lot. Give them some slack."

Ray had to grit his teeth not to say something less than nice. Using all the mind-control the village's training had given him to shake away the anger, he looked around, searching.

" After Kai defeated us, he walked into the woods", Mariah, having calmed down just a little, told him.

" KAI!" the male-members of the White Tigers exclaimed. Obviously, they hadn't been observant enough to see the familiarity in their opponent.

" Yeah, Kai", Nadja confirmed, sounding reluctant to retell the painful tale. " Long story."

Lee opened his mouth to ask more, when a sound of a helicopter suddenly interrupted him, taking them all by surprise.

" What's a helicopter doing here?" Kevin blurted out.

" Kai…", Ray gasped, eyes widening, and looked at his friends. " He's still here! We weren't too late after all!"

Without wasting another second, the gang sprinted towards the sound, leaving behind the very confused White Tigers. As they reached the huge grass-field just outside the forest, they saw a helicopter that was about to take off – and a shockingly familiar boy walking towards it. Even though this kid had long, black hair and his back towards them, something about his essence was so familiar that it made their hearts jolt with desperate hope.

They'd been searching for so long, and now… He was so close.

Without even thinking about it, Tyson sprinted towards the team-captain. " KAAAIIIIIIII!"

Surprised, Kai turned around, and his eyes widened as he saw the bluenette rushing towards him with a speed of a lightning.

That boy… He'd seen him in more than one of those strange memories…

Dizziness washed over him as he slowly shifted his gaze from the boy to the rest of the group.

Familiar. So very familiar…

As the echo of the bluenette's scream rang in his ears, he could almost, just almost, remember names to those worried, pleading faces looking at him, asking for him to… come back? Could it be? But why…? He'd never seen them before. Right?

The blue-hared boy stopped a few steps away from him, watching him expectantly. " Kai?"

It was so hard to keep his feelings hidden, almost impossible. The pain pounding his head was becoming too much to bear. But he fought the pain, fought the memories, with such force that it made his eyes squint. The people looking at him obviously thought it was an expression of anger, which he gladly accepted. He didn't want them to know how confused – perhaps even frightened – they made him feel. " I told you three to never show your faces in front of me again", he said coldly, looking at the people he'd seen in the mansion for such a long time ago.

" Kai, you have to wake up, now", the reddish-black hared girl told him, a huge variety of feelings in her almost black eyes. " Please. Remember me. Remember us."

He snorted and turned around, beginning to walk towards the helicopter again. His heart was bounding, blood rushed wildly in his veins. He was beginning to feel panicked. If those fools wouldn't leave soon, that… thing inside of him would make him hurt them – it wouldn't allow him to let anyone close. And… For some strange reason, every fibre of his being screamed out that he should protect them. Making them leave was the only way to do that. " There's nothing to remember. Get out of my sight!"

He almost yelped in surprise when a hand suddenly graphed his wrist. As he slowly turned around, he expected it to be the blue-hared boy that had been running towards him, or the girl who'd just spoken, but instead he met a pair of amber eyes that were filled with… sorrow? " Kai, don't go, not again." The raven-hared boy first pointed at himself, then the other teens. " Your place is with us. You must know it in your heart, though you can't remember."

" Yeah." This time it was the bluenette, who was only a couple of steps away. " Do you remember how you realized it, there by the lake? We are your friends. We care about you."

And though Kai wouldn't let a single emotion slip through, a small, distant part of him did remember – he recalled the trust, the hope, the offer of friendship. Not realizing what he was doing, he closed his free hand around the strange pendant hanging on his neck.

But this time, he didn't receive memories. Instead he heard a affectionate, familiar feminine voice. Comforting warmth filled his chest, and for that sweet moment, he finally felt whole. First time during the months he could remember, he felt what he was doing was right.

' _Master, you know that following Voltaire isn't your destiny._'

Despite resistance, his eyes fell shut as immense pain filled his chest. _Then what is?_ The thought was sad, almost bitter. _If I don't have him, then what do I have? I… I've lost everything!_

' _Not everything, Master. Not even close._' The voice was soft, so loving that it was almost impossible to restrain tears. ' _I love you, Master, and so do they. They need you, just as much as I do. You haven't lost us._'

" Dranzer…", he whispered, so quietly that even Ray still holding his hand couldn't hear it.

' _Follow your heart, Master, for your soul isn't lost yet. Trust me, and I'll show you the way'_.

As Kai once again opened his eyes and let go of the pendant, the warmth disappeared, the voice was gone. Left without that protection, he found himself shivering – but not entirely from cold. All those beautiful words spoken by the voice echoed in his ears. And for a slightest while, he almost squeezed the raven-hared boy's hand, listened to the nearly deafening voice in his ears that begged him to follow these people. It would've been so tempting to surrender to that consolation their obvious affection towards him brought.

But then… He realized he couldn't. Even if these people had once been precious to him, that was now lost. Besides, how could he ever follow his heart when he had none? That's what his grandfather had told him, and some voice inside his head wasn't enough to convince him otherwise, no matter how much comfort it had given him for a short while.

His mind was swimming, and the pain bounding his head was so hard that it took just about all he had not to scream out loud. He forced a glare as he looked at the cat-eyed boy, who still hadn't let go of his hand. " Get off me, or I shall remove your hand myself." Even though the words 'the thing' inside of him produced were spoken with loud volume and firmness, inwardly Kai was crying and screaming.

Looking into Kai's eyes, Ray could clearly see the pain and grief in them, though Kai tried valiantly to fight against it. He knew that Kai was beginning to remember, but couldn't help feeling a slash of sadness as he saw how much remembering hurt the boy. How much pain they were bringing on Kai. No matter how hard he would've wanted to take Kai home, to force all the painful memories back, he couldn't do that, not yet. Kai wasn't ready. The memories would kill him.

Slowly, reluctantly, he let Kai's hand slip from his, and felt tears gathering behind his eyes as he watched the boy's back distance and disappear. Never before had he experienced such an emotion of loss.

As Kai walked away and stepped into his grandfather's helicopter, a couple of tears escaped his tightly closed eyes. It felt like his entire soul had been torn apart.

Outside, the others rushed up to Ray. " What the heck was that?" Bryan roared. " Why the hell did you let him go!"

Ray wasn't able to reply for the lump in his throat, and in silence the gang watched as the helicopter took off and disappeared from their sight.

In Ray's pocket, Kai's blade glowed mournfully before returning to normal.

* * *

TBC.

* * *

A/N: OMG! I was so close to tears when writing this!

So, Dara is finally safe – and Kai is beginning to remember. Will the others ever manage to reach him, or will he keep pushing them away in fear of hurting them?

Stick around for next chapter, everyone! And please, oh please do review!


	23. Old and new friends

A/N: Oh eyes, I really did manage to come up with chapter 23!

Once again, thank you from the innermost depths of my soul for all those heart-warming reviews! Can you even imagine how precious they are to me? I wish I could just hug you all, but it's kinda hard through a computer, huh?

Before continuing, there's something I've been thinking about. As you've been sticking around for such a long time, I think you deserve to have some guarantee that this story will actually be finished eventually, ne? I promise you, as long as you'll keep bombarding me with reviews (not hinting or anything…) this story _WILL_ go on once a week. If I'll decide to go ahead with all my plans, there'll be about twelve more chapters. (Which mean altogether… 35 chapters! Geez, that's a lot!) I hope I'll manage to keep your interest up for that long.

Okay, without any further jittery-jattery, on with the story! I hope you'll like! In this chapter, you'll finally get to know who Dimitrei really is – and get a glimpse of Dara's past.

(Btw, if you don't remember clearly the terms Dara and the gang were in before Voltaire took her, Kai and Tala, check out chapter 6 before beginning this one. There was, for example, Tyson punching Dara he considered as a traitor.)

**¨**

CHAPTER 23: Old and new friends

/ _When a five-years-old Dara woke up from the backseat of her parents' car, she could hear whispered words. " Rex, are you sure this'll work?" her mom asked in a tight, tense voice._

_" You just have to trust…" Her dad paused mid-sentence, giving a deep, tired sigh. " I don't know, Irina. I just don't know anymore."_

_There was a heavy silence before her mother spoke. " We have to get away from here." Was that a sob she heard? " If… If Boris ever gets his filthy hands on the girls…"_

_" Your brother won't get anywhere near them, I promise you", her father stated in a stern, determined voice. " Even if it would be the last thing I do, I'll keep them safe from that madman."_

_Blinking her eyes, still rather drowsy and unable to understand, Dara pushed herself into a sitting position. " Momma? Papa? What's going on?"_

_Her mother's sapphire-blue eyes – that looked exactly like hers – were filled with tightly held back tears as the woman looked at her, forcing a stiff smile. Despite her deafness, she had somehow once again sensed that another one of her daughters had spoken. " Go back to sleep, sweetheart. Everything's going to be okay."_

_A deep frown crossed Dara's features. When she'd fallen asleep, she'd been in her own bed, safe and sound. So… Why were they suddenly on a run? Still frowning, she looked at her fourteen-years-old sister Mischa, who was staring out the window to the pitch-black Spanish landscape. " Misa, what is this?" she almost whispered. " From who are we escaping? I don't understand…"_

_Mischa's eyes – that held a rich shade of green she'd inherited from their father's side – were filled with sorrow, pain and fear as she looked at her. " Dara…"_

_But before she could say anything more, there was a hellish thrust and a horrifying sound of metal crushing as another car hit theirs, hard. Dara gave a small yelp and squeezed her eyes tightly shut when there was another blow, this time even harder. A protective pair of arms wrapped tightly around her. " Misa!"_

_" Hold on!" their father yelled in a voice that was filled with sheer horror._

_When the third and final blow came, their small car was sent flying. Screams of horror mixed to each other as the car suddenly hit something with a sickening smash, and tearing sounds of metal crushing could be heard._

_Hellish pain flooded through Dara's entire being, and she gave a heartbreaking cry, squeezing her eyes tightly shut. When she opened them again, all she met was white. She blinked in deep confusion._

_Where am I? What's going on?_

_A meow of agony escaped her lips when pain shot through her body. The centre of it seemed to be in her leg and head._

_Suddenly quiet sounds of talking came to her ears. " Poor girl…", a feminine-voice sighed in Spanish, a language she barely understood. " She's already lost her parents, and now, she might lose her sister…"_

_" Yeah", came a much lower male-voice. " She should wake up anytime soon, and then… we'll have to tell her…"_

_Dara's head was spinning so badly that she feared she'd collapse again as she forced herself into a sitting position, ignoring the immense pain she was in. Still innocent eyes filled with panic, she looked at the nurse and doctor standing in the room. " What's going on?" she demanded in a small, terrified child's voice. " What happened?"_

_Look of extreme agony upon his face, the doctor walked up to her. " You were in a car-accident, but you're going to be alright. You have two broken ribs, a broken leg and a gash on your forehead. You've been unconscious for two days."_

_She nodded anxiously. " What about my parents and Mischa?"_

_The doctor gulped with much difficulty, not willing to meet her gaze. " Your sister… hurt herself quite badly. There was a major blood-loss, and…" He gulped again. " She's still unconscious."_

_If possible, Dara's eyes grew even larger than they had been as panic tore her. " Is… is she going to be alright?" she almost squeaked, face paling drastically._

_The doctor sighed, eyes suspiciously moist. " I… I don't know. No one does."_

_It took for a long time before Dara managed to compose herself enough to ask more. " What… what about my parents? Are they alright?"_

_The doctor's face became a mask of sorrow. " Dara, I… Their injuries… were much too severe. Your… your dad died right away, but… Your mom, she… she fought. She died this morning." He was almost in tears. " I'm so sorry."_

_The inhuman moan that erupted from Dara's throat was left lingering in the walls. She squeezed her eyes shut, and when she opened them again, they'd lost all their childish innocence._ /

**¨**

" Dara." Mr. Dickinson's gentle voice woke Dara from those memories. Turning her head, she saw the man looking at her from his seat in the limousine. " We're here."

**¨**

Another week had passed. After Kai had been taken away by that helicopter, there hadn't been a single trace of him. (The group suspected that Voltaire had done all the tricks he could possibly muster to hide his grandson.) Dranzer was no more helping, for since that day in the woods her glow had died, and it almost seemed the bit-beast had given up on hope of ever being held by her Master again. Helplessness seemed to be a common emotion seen in the gang-members' eyes. Though after hearing the whole story the White Tigers had agreed to help (getting their beasts back was not a small add to motivation), it still seemed that their allay-situation was one against thousand for Voltaire.

But despite all this, practising had to go on.

" DRAGOON, STORM ATTACK!" Tyson roared, watching as his blade zoomed towards Max's.

" DRACIEL, METAL BALL DEFENCE!" Max shouted his order, and at the next second their blades collided.

For a long moment, it seemed Tyson would win. But then, with a sudden burst of new power, Draciel crushed once more against Dragoon. The breathtaking energy-field caused by the encounter forced both bladers to shield their eyes. When it was finally safe to look, they noticed that both blades had flown off the dish onto the backyard of Tyson's dojo.

Something deeply uncomfortable could be sensed in the air as the bladers wordlessly retreated their blades. Once upon a time, they would've celebrated awesome practice-match with private signs of affection. Now, neither could find a word to say.

" Max…" Tyson's forehead formed a frown of concentration. " Good battle."

Max looked at him, blinking in something between disbelief, hurt and confusion, clearly thinking 'that's it'? In the end, the American simply gave a small nod, eyes no longer looking at him. " Yeah, it was."

Tyson opened his mouth, and was just about to say something when the door of the dojo opened, and Kenny stormed out, seeming out of breath.

" What's up, Chief?" Tyson asked.

" I thought you were supposed to record our battle", Max added.

" Don't you… two ever… watch TV?" Kenny panted.

Those words caught their attention. Exchanging worried looks, Tyson and Max sprinted inside, followed by Kenny. As they reached the living room, Tyson's grandfather and the rest of the gang were already there, staring at the TV-screen with huge eyes. " What's going on?" Tyson inquired.

" Quiet!" Tala ordered, and it became silent.

On the TV-screen stood a dark-skinned, female news-reporter, before a shady Russian house.

" I'm Kelly Taggard, reporting from Russia. Two hours ago, after a long firefight, local police finally arrested one of the two Russia's most wanted criminals, Boris Balkov. He was one of the two men behind the notorious, sadly famous Biovolt, the man that took lives of almost thirty children six and half months ago when burning down the so-called Abbey. Police remains silent of the tips that lead to the arrest, but according to reliable sources, the clue came from a child who managed to escape from Boris' hands." Someone spoke in Russian outside the screen, apparently saying that the reporter wasn't allowed to film much longer. " The most wanted criminal of Russia and the manager of Biovolt, Voltaire Hiwatari, is however still on the loose. Anyone who has any information concerning his whereabouts is urged to contact authorities."

The gang was speechless for a long time as Tyson's grandfather turned off the TV.

" So… Boris is behind bars…", Bryan finally broke the silence.

" Do you guys think it was Dara who gave police the clue?" Alissa asked.

Tyson snorted. " I wouldn't be surprised. After all, betraying her allies seems to be what she does best."

" I suppose I deserved that one", came a familiar voice from the doorway.

Spinning around, they saw hesitant-looking Dara standing there with Mr. Dickinson behind her. In her arms was a beautiful, small boy, who looked at them, tired chocolate-brown eyes filled with uncertainty. For a long moment they simply looked at her, unsure of whether they should be happy that she was there or not. Eventually Tyson made up his mind and, giving Dara a look that was far from friendly, stormed towards the door. Just before he was out Mr. D graphed his arm, seeming disappointed. " Tyson, you should at least hear her out."

The look in Tyson's eyes, however, told that there was no arguing, and as soon as Mr. D reluctantly let go of him he was out, slamming the door shut behind him. Anyone could see the look of pain and sadness that briefly crossed Dara's features.

For a long, uncomfortable moment they stayed in silence. Finally Kenny spoke, looking at the trio that had just came in. " What's going on?" he asked with a cautious frown.

Mr. D looked at Dara, eyes gentle. " Should I tell them, or would you like to explain yourself?"

" I think it's the best if I do it." Giving a deep sigh, Dara looked at the three remaining Bladebreakers. " Look… I'm so sorry I… betrayed you, but I was given no other choice. Boris would've killed me if I hadn't obeyed." A tear she didn't wipe away slid down her cheek. " I never meant any of this to happen, I swear. I never wanted Kai to suffer." She took a deep, shuttering breath, trying to compose herself. " But I'm going to clean up my mess. I sent Boris into jail, and now… if you let me… I want to help you find Kai."

" Why?" Ray's voice was tight and harsh, his arms crossed over his chest. Anyone could tell how hard it was for him to trust this girl.

There was no lie in Dara's teary eyes as she replied, voice thick with emotion. " Because I care about Kai, more than any of you would ever believe. And I want to make right all the horrifying things that have happened to him because of me."

It was silent for a long time again as the gang pondered if they should believe her or not. It felt almost like very time itself had held its breath as Tala took a step forward, looking into Dara's blue eyes. It seemed to take forever before the two finally shared a small, solemn nod of mutual understanding, one promising to trust, the other to never fail that trust.

" Now…", Nadja stated, taking a stand beside Tala, eyes locked to Dara. " Tell us everything that happened during your stay in the Abbey."

It took for almost an hour before both Dara and the gang had given their full reports. Just then they completely registered the boy in Dara's arms. With a soft smile upon his face, Ray kneeled to the child's level. " Hi. What's your name?" he asked, but the child stayed quiet and just looked at him, seeming scared.

" He doesn't speak English, and he's a bit sick. Besides, he's been under Boris and Voltaire's hands too, so he doesn't trust on new people too much", Dara explained with a small, cautious smile, then spoke to the child in Russian. " It's okay, these people are friends." She gestured towards Ray. " He wanted to know your name."

The child nodded to her, then looked at Ray, seeming slightly less on guard. " Dimitrei."

Ray nodded, smiling. " Okay. I'm Ray."

Seeming serious, but not scared anymore, Dimitrei nodded and, after hesitating for a long time, reached his small hand towards Ray. Everyone laughed slightly as they watched the two new friends shake hands.

" So… who is Dimitrei?" Kenny asked. " Is he your brother?"

Everyone saw something between hesitation and fear flash in Dara's eyes. It took for a long time before she spoke. " He's closer than a family-member to me, but… No, he's not my brother." She then looked at Tala and Alissa. " But he is yours."

The twins' eyes widened considerably. " What?" both gasped.

A deep frown came to Tala's unnaturally tense face. " How is that possible? Our parents… They were killed."

Dara's eyes were glimmering slightly when she pulled Dimitrei closer to her chest. " You most certainly remember the day your parents tried to escape from Russia to keep you two from having to go to the Abbey – your mom being Voltaire's most trusted doctor, it was supposed to be easy for them. But… One of their friends sold them out to Voltaire." She held a small pause, allowing Tala and Alissa to overcome the painful memories. " Voltaire… He killed your father that day, but… He took your mother with him, told her that if she'd disobey, he would kill you both. You were never allowed to see her, but she… She was there, in the Abbey, all the way until three days after Dimitrei was born."

Shock appeared to Alissa's face. " Dimitrei… is her son?" she whispered. " But how…?"

For a very, very long time Dara hesitated, not sure if she should tell the whole story to the twins or not. Eventually she decided that if she ever wanted to be trusted, she had to tell the full truth, and nothing but. " Boris… He… he might've even loved your mother in some twisted way. He used you… to make her do whatever he wanted her to do." Her voice was nothing more than a whisper, but the looks upon Tala and Alissa's shaken faces told that they'd heard her. " She became pregnant, and nine months later, Dimitrei was born. Three days after that, she tried to get him away from the Abbey; she couldn't stand the idea that he would have to grow up in such a hell, that he'd become… an object." A shuttering sigh escaped her. " That decision… cost her a life." She gently stroked Dimitrei's hair before continuing in a thick voice. " So, you see… Dimitrei is your step-brother – and the only acknowledged, valuable heir of the Balkov-family."

**¨**

Tyson didn't know for how long he'd been sitting on the porch of his dojo, all thoughts whirring in one messy flood.

So Dara was back now. After all she'd done, after all that had happened because of her, she simply came back, expecting everyone to trust her and accept her. Tyson couldn't control his fury. How could Dara expect everything to be the same!

He almost jumped as the door behind him opened, and there were sounds of soft, hesitating steps approaching. " Look, Mr. D, I know you want me to listen to her, but…" Turning his head, he felt his eyes squint into slits when they found Dara leaning against the wall, eyes locked to some spot in distance. " What the hell are you doing here?"

It took for a long time before Dara spoke. " I understand why you hate me."

He snorted, looking away. " Geez, you're smarter than I thought."

" But what you don't understand is why I did it." Her voice was shuttering, but he didn't bother to turn his head and look at her. " I know how much you care about Kai, Tyson. You probably won't believe this, but I care even more. It's just that… Emotions mean nothing in the Abbey."

He blinked his suddenly stinging eyes. " Yeah, that much Kai told."

"I know you probably won't believe this, but I was trying to help him. If I hadn't came to find Kai, it would've been someone else. Someone ten times as ruthless, someone who would've hurt him far worse than I did."

Tyson could barely hold back tears of pain and anger. " How could anyone have harmed Kai worse than you did! He trusted you, Dara!" It was something between a whisper and hiss. " It took for such a long time for us to get through to him, but you… You did it in a couple of days. And then you threw it all away!" He whipped his gaze to her, moist eyes flaming. " How could you do that if you really care about him!"

Dara's eyes were filled with tears. " I was supposed to betray him at first, yes, but then…" She sobbed. " I was only going to protect him, Tyson, but I failed."

And when Tyson looked into her eyes, he suddenly understood. The pain in those sapphire orbs… It was the same he'd been carrying for all this time. The burden of failing in something important, something vital. " You really do love him", he stated, not asked, but got a small nod as response anyway. Slowly, testing if his feet would be co-operative, he pushed himself up and walked up to her. For several moments they simply looked at each other, Dara obviously wondering if he would punch her again.

Eventually he broke the tense silence. " This is just a truce, Dara, not full peace. If you betray Kai ever again, I'll kill you with bare hands. And I still don't trust you. Understood?"

Dara's eyes flashed as she nodded again. " Understood."

**¨**

Neither Max or Jax said a word as they walked through the crowd of airport, Jax amazingly effortlessly carrying his huge suitcase.

" Boarding for flight 9201 to New York will begin in fifteen minutes. All passengers a asked to check in at gate 3", came a monotonous voice through speakers.

Just reaching the said gate, the couple stopped walking, looking at each other. " So…", Max begun, then trailed off, not knowing what exactly he was trying to say. His stinging eyes fell to his shoes. When he spoke, his voice shivered. " Have a safe flight, 'k? Call me when you're in New York."

" Max." Jax's voice was gentle, yet demanding. " Max, look at me." When he didn't obey, the boy gently lifted his chin with his hand. Lively green met teary blue. " Blondie, there's no reason to cry. We're not saying goodbye."

Max involuntarily sniffed. " Gosh, I hope so."

Just then, the last call for Jax's flight came. After slight hesitation, Jax suddenly bent closer and planted a passionate, tender kiss onto Max's forehead, making the smaller boy gasp in surprise. After the kiss, Jax looked at him sternly. " I've gotta go now, and I don't want to leave you in tears. Understood?" Suddenly remembering something, Jax searched through his pockets, then pulled out something and gave it to Max. " If you ever feel like you're ready to use that, do so." The boy smiled, brushing his cheek gently with one hand. " Bye."

And with those words, Jax turned around and walked away. Tears were glittering in Max's eyes as he stared at the distancing back, frozen to the spot, shivering all over. When Jax's back finally disappeared from view, a small whisper escaped him. " Bye…"

Max had no idea of for how long he'd stood paralyzed, staring at the spot where Jax had disappeared, when he finally remembered the boy had given him something. Looking at the thing he was holding, he gave a loud gasp. " Jax…"

It was an open plane-ticket to New York.

**¨**

Much later that night, Tala soundlessly slipped into the room where Dimitrei was sleeping contentedly. For a long moment he stood in the doorway and looked at the child, trying to find something familiar in him, anything that would convince him that this child was really his brother.

He had no idea of for how long he'd been standing there, staring at Dimitrei, when the child suddenly made a small noise in his sleep, frowning. After slight hesitation, Tala walked up to him and gently tried his forehead.

Slight fever was definitely still there.

He backed away in frighten when Dimitrei's eyes suddenly opened, then widened as the child noticed him. Deciding that he didn't want Dimitrei to go into hysterics, Tala smiled and spoke gently in Russian. " It's okay, Dimitrei, I'm not going to hurt you", he whispered. " Go back to sleep."

For a while the child hesitated, but then closed his eyes, much too tired to fight against sleep any longer.

Just as Dimitrei fell into a sleep, Tala suddenly felt that he was being watched. Sensing the familiar presence, he whispered in English. " Do you think we'll ever learn to see him like a brother?"

Giving a deep sighed, Alissa walked up to him, looking at Dimitrei. " Honestly… I have no idea", she confessed. There was a huge amount of motherly gentleness in her eyes as she softly stroked Dimitrei's locks.

For a long moment they stayed in silence, simply watching the child they now knew as their half-brother. " It's impossible to believe that a half of something that pure could possibly come from Boris", Tala finally cut the silence.

Something almost furious flashed in Dara's eyes, and she was obviously about to snap something. But in the end she kept a short pause before replying in a strange, unfamiliar voice. " He's also mom's, Talli. And… that's gotta mean something. He isn't a lost soul just because a bastard like Boris is his father." Her eyes glimmered just slightly in the moonlight. " I don't know if he'll ever feel like a family-member, but… Mom died trying to save him from what she couldn't pull us out of. And… I want to make sure that sacrifice wasn't vain. That… we didn't lose her for nothing."

Feeling his own eyes sting, Tala nodded, unable to form words. After giving it a thought, he gently wrapped his other arm around his twin-sister and pulled her close. Closing her eyes, she leaned her head against his shoulder.

**¨**

A small crash came from a Japanese hotel-room when Voltaire's furious thrust threw Kai down, and the boy landed roughly against a small table, giving a tiny hiss of pain as he hit his head. " You were thinking about those idiots again, weren't you?" the man growled, sounding like some horrifying beast. " That's why you weren't concentrating."

Kai – who was only wearing his pants (as he hadn't got a chance to dress up properly) and shivering violently – felt his head spinning when he slowly struggled to all-fours, already feeling some blood seep out of the wound the contact with table had caused onto his forehead. As well as his head, his lower parts were also hurting like hell from the sickening 'chore' his grandfather had just put him through. " I… I'm sorry…", he whispered, hoping, praying, that those words would smother his grandfather's fury.

No such luck. He gave a meow when the elder brutally graphed his hair and pulled his head up, forcing him to meet the man's soulless, lust- and rage-filled eyes. " You belong to me, and only me, do you hear me! You are my property, and I am not going to share you!"

Kai felt his poor heart beating furiously, and it took all he had not to let the fear show. " Y – yes… I understand."

" Good." Roughly his grandfather let go of him, tying the rope of his bathrobe. " I'll leave you now, because you are obviously no use tonight. Go to sleep, or you will be in no condition to practice blading tomorrow." The man's eyes squinted. " And make sure you won't give me another disappointment tomorrow-night."

Rage bubbled in Kai's veins, and it was only because of 'the thing' inside of him he didn't just kill the man there and then. " I won't."

Not saying a word, the elder left, locking the door after him. As soon as he was left alone, Kai gave a loud scream of rage, frustration and pain, wrapping his arms tightly around himself in a protective manner. His eyes fell to the stain of blood on his pants, and tears immediately stung his eyes.

Used… He felt so damn used. He'd lost track on how many times his grandfather had done this to him, surrendered under some twisted sensation of lust and hunger to control. With each and every time, Kai could feel a small part of him dying – exactly the same way as a part of his soul had shattered beyond preparing as he'd been forced to walk away from those people in the woods.

And right after meeting all those familiar people, his life had became far more agonizing. His grandfather had found out about the encounter, and ever since the man had been possessed over him. Kai wondered if the elder was actually jealous in his own, chilling way – ever since that day a week ago, nothing he did during their night-time 'chores' had been enough for his grandfather. He couldn't even count how many bruises he'd received during the past nights.

Feeling pain flood through his body, Kai bravely grit his teeth and with much effort forced his broken, used body up. No matter how much he despised his grandfather, he had to admit that the man had been right about one thing; he did need rest, especially when Voltaire hadn't allowed him to have pretty much any sleep at all for the past week.

As he slowly, cautiously, laid down to his bed and the pain once again attacked, worse than ever before, he couldn't help but let tears of frustration and immense ache escape. And – just like in countless of nights before – he cried himself to sleep.

**¨**

Kai didn't know for how long he'd been sleeping when he woke up to the searing sensation of hunger. Hearing his stomach grumble, he growled when remembering that his grandfather hadn't allowed him to eat a thing that day.

The next thing he felt was the pain all over his being. Hissing, he buried his face into his hands, knowing all too well that he wouldn't be allowed to have any aspirin. " Damnit…"

As he slowly moved the hands away, overcoming the worst attack of pain, he suddenly noticed the small glass of water his grandfather had brought him while he'd been sleeping. He snorted. " How generous…"

But he had to admit that he was really thirsty, particularly with what his grandfather had done to him. Slowly, hissing loudly as the pain almost pushed him back down, he forced himself up, knowing that he'd have to drink or he'd be feeling very, very sick in the morning – especially with the nauseating medication his grandfather still forced him to have.

Walking cautiously, fearing that the bounding pain might sweep him off his feet, he tossed to the glass and gratefully took it. Despite the fact that the water was warm and tasted rotten (for his grandfather had most certainly put some drugs into it), it still made him feel much better. Slowly, some of the agony in his body wore off.

That was until he heard quiet talking from the lounge-room. Frowning, he walked up to the door to listen.

" Those brats saw him in the woods", he heard his grandfather say, or more growl.

Kai frowned again. 'Brats'? Was his grandfather referring to those people who'd known him? It seemed the elder really despised those people, which didn't come as a surprise to him.

" Yes, and now that you lost that girl and managed to get yourself locked up into a jail, everything's falling apart!" His grandfather paused, obviously trying to regain his composure. " We must act quickly, before Kai begins to suspect something. The power is almost complete. Those beasts Kai has collected have almost what it takes to achieve our goal. If we are fast, there is a chance."

Kai felt his blood turn cold. What the heck was his grandfather talking about? Was there something he didn't know about the sickening things the man made him do?

" I'll keep Kai under control until the final encounter. After that, it doesn't matter anymore." He heard a deep sigh. There was a pause. " Yes, Boris, we'll keep in touch." With that, his grandfather hung up.

Kai felt cold shivers run down his spine.

_What the hell's going on!_

All of a sudden, he felt just like a lab-rat in a cage.

**¨**

TBC.

**¨**

A/N: Aw, gosh, I seriously feel sick for Kai! Will his torment ever be over? But hey, at least he's now beginning to know that everything isn't what it seems – and he's in Japan!

But huh, Dimitrei is Tala and Alissa's step-brother! You'll learn some more secrets later on – concerning at least Kai, Tyson (!) and Alissa – but only if you stick around…

And PLEEEEEEEEEASE, review! It really does mean a world to me!


	24. Calm before the storm

A/N: Hi again! I hope you're all still out there, because here comes chapter 24!

As always, thank you so much for those incredible reviews! Wow! It's amazing that you're still so into this after such a long time! I just hope I'll manage to keep this fic interesting. And special thanks for the offer of translation help! I'll definitely ask it if I need, because… Well, my Spanish-vocabulary basically consists of two words… (grins)

Dimitrei's… well, heritage was somewhat explained in the last chapter. He's the son of Boris and Tala and Alissa's mother, which makes him the twins' step-brother – and the last heir of Balkov-family. Freaky, huh?

Okay, okay, as there are no further… issues, let's get on with the story, shall we? Hope u like!

**¨**

CHAPTER 24: Calm before the storm

Another week went by with Kai missing. The gang couldn't understand. Why wasn't Voltaire making Kai steal bit-beasts anymore? Had the man given up – or was he planning on some vicious final strike?

But not everything was completely dark anymore. Dara was back now, which had revived their hopes of getting Kai back too. Plus there was now fully recovered Dimitrei, who'd managed to charm everyone. The child was a good distraction to take their thoughts off of Kai every once in a while. They hadn't told him that Tala and Alissa were his siblings just yet; after having his entire life turned upside down, that might've been too much for Dimitrei.

" Car", Ray told Dimitrei, who was sitting next to him on the porch of Tyson's dojo with a concentrated look upon his small face. From a magazine, Ray was showing a picture of a beautiful red car.

" Car", Dimitrei repeated slowly, forehead wrinkling with concentration.

Ray smiled. " Very good."

Dimitrei flipped through the magazine, then suddenly paused. He looked at Ray with a questioning gaze, finger placed upon a picture that represented smiling parents with two children.

Ray felt a bang of sadness. " Family", he said.

Dimitrei blinked his eyes, seeming a bit confused. " Family…", he repeated, then looked at the picture again. Sorrow could be seen in his eyes along with puzzlement. " _Sjemja_…"

Sitting nearby while taking a break from practising blading, the others smirked as they looked at the two. " Seems like Ray's made a new friend", Tyson stated.

" Yeah." Max smiled. " If those two keep on practising like that, Dimitrei will be speaking fluent English in a month."

" Do you know what's going to happen to Dimitrei?" Alissa suddenly asked. " I mean, Boris and Voltaire are the only adults who've ever taken care of him. He's got nowhere to go." Even though both she and Tala still had huge problems with thinking of Dimitrei as their brother, they nevertheless cared deeply about the adorable kid. After all, who could've resisted Dimitrei? Besides, as the last remaining droplets of his family, they felt responsible for him.

" Kai and Dara are his family now, we all are – blood-ties or not. Besides, Mr. Dickinson is now his legal guardian. He'll be alright", Tala stated. Everyone surprised when seeing the soft look in the Russian's eyes as he looked at Dimitrei. " I'll make sure of that."

Bryan smirked. " Getting softy, are we?" he teased.

Tala was just about to say something very nasty, when Dara suddenly emerged the dojo. Everyone immediately tensed and looked at the girl expectantly.

" Well?" Tyson urged with great impatience.

They all knew she'd been on a phone talking to Mr. Dickinson. Perhaps – just perhaps – he'd had something new to tell about Kai.

Dara's sad look and shake of head, however, dropped then roughly back onto ground. " Nothing."

A dark silence fell over the gang, and even Dimitrei seemed to sense something being wrong as he walked up to Dara and let the girl hold him. Sighing, Dara pulled the child close, and anyone could see how hard it was for her to hold back tears. No one could blame her. She'd been parted from Kai for almost five months, and it was obviously eating her up inside. Not knowing where the one she cared about beyond anything else was, or if she'd ever see him again was a horrible strain.

" I can't take this anymore", Nadja suddenly hissed, slamming her fist against the ground like it had

been the reason to all her pain. Her look was between sad and furious as she screamed out something in Russian, squeezing her eyes tightly shut in pain and frustration.

Everyone looked on in bewilderment as they saw Tala calmly wrapping his arm around the furious girl and she calmed down immediately, leaning herself against the boy's body. It seemed that Tala was the only one allowed to touch the girl – for others, touching her meant getting ass kicked.

Somewhat depressed silence lingered over the group for a long while. Even Dimitrei didn't talk (though the boy hardly ever talked anyway when someone other than Dara or Ray was present).

" We'll get Kai back, you know?" Tyson suddenly stated, seeming determined. " We've been searching and waiting for almost seven months now. We can't just give up."

What the gang didn't know, was that there was someone listening to them.

Hiding behind a nearby tree, Kai frowned as he listened to the words. Their voices were so filled with sincerity and affection, genuineness he hadn't even once heard in Voltaire's tone during the months he could remember. And for some completely senseless reason, he would've desperately wanted to be with them – every fibre of his being screamed that they were his true destiny.

Before he even realized what was happening, his legs begun to move him towards the group – but 'the thing' inside of him immediately forced him to halt after just a couple of steps. A flood of memories filled his mind. But unlike the ones he got when touching his pendant, 'the thing's' memories filled him with immense coldness instead of comforting, familiar warmth.

/ _The navy-hared boy pointing at him, shouting._ /

/ _The same boy with the raven-haired boy preparing to fight him on a ice, eyes flaming._ /

/ _He, facing the blonde-haired boy in a bey-battle._ /

/ _The navy-hared boy again, launching Kai's blade onto the ice._ /

/ _The reddish-black hared girl kicking him, her words echoing inside his mind. " I hate you!"_ / (1)

Kai gave a tiny gasp of shock, retreating the couple of steps forward he'd taken.

Who the heck were those people? If… if he really felt like he belonged with them, then… Why had they been fighting him, hurting him? Were they friends or enemies?

_" I hate you!"_

Kai knew that he needed answers, desperately, but it was obvious that he wasn't going to get anything but lies from his grandfather.

Just then, a voice spoke to him through the small headphone connected to his right ear. It was one of Voltaire's men, who'd – extremely reluctantly – agreed to help him when he'd said he needed five minutes outside the hotel while his grandfather was taking care of business-issues. " Kai, Voltaire came back. You'll better get back here, pronto."

Kai hissed quietly. He'd been gone for too long. Great. Now he'd have to face a suspicious, outraged grandfather.

Ray's cat's-senses suddenly activated, he could've sworn he hard grass rustling. " Did you guys hear something?" he asked tensely, still listening, but nothing more was heard.

" Probably just a wind", Kenny said.

After that it was silent for a long, dark moment. Eventually – fearing that he might burst into tears if he wouldn't get away from the depressing atmosphere – Tyson bounced up. " I… I'll just go and get Dragoon, so we'll get on with practising."

Ray nodded, the look in his eyes revealing that he understood. " Okay."

Once inside the dojo, Tyson leaned his back heavily against the wall and closed his eyes, taking many deep breaths to calm himself. After several minutes he finally didn't feel like crying anymore, and slowly opened his pain-filled eyes, giving a shuttering sigh.

_Damnit, Kai… Look what you're doing to me…_

Deciding that he wasn't in the state to go back to the others just yet, he sauntered to kitchen, taking himself a glass of water. Just when he was about to take the first gulp, he froze and frowned. It felt like… something was calling him. Frown deepening, he let curiosity take the best of him and followed the call. To his surprise, he ended up into guestroom – and saw the box of pictures and tapes Kai had left for the Bladebreakers in the middle of the floor.

For practicality-reasons, the box had been placed into his grandpa's dojo – after all, that was where the Bladebreakers most often spent time. Still, up until this day, Tyson's hadn't been able to even touch it, let alone look at the pictures; to him, it would've felt too much like saying goodbye to Kai.

But now… Led by some incomprehensible power, he slowly walked up to the box with the glass of water in his hand, almost like in a daze. Blinking in confusion, he took the first picture – which represented about seven-years-old Kai – with his free hand.

And all of a sudden, a distant memory he'd thought lost came to his mind. Eyes widening, he gave a loud gasp of shock. The glass fell from his grasp, shattering to pieces. " Oh my God…"

Outside, the others exchanged looks of deep worry when a noise of bathroom door being harshly opened came from inside, followed by a sound of loud heave. " I'll go and see if he's okay", Max said without a second's hesitation, pushing himself up with a deep, worried frown.

Walking into the bathroom, he felt a wave of concern and almost panic go through him when finding Tyson leaning onto the toilet seat, face ghostly pale and shivering all over. " Tyson?" he asked carefully, pulling the door shut to gain them some privacy. " What's wrong?"

After heaving once more, Tyson spoke so quietly that could barely hear, widened eyes not looking at him. " I… I know why Kai seemed so familiar when I first saw him on that bridge, Max. I had seen him before…"

**¨**

/ _Six-years-old Tyson's blue eyes were almost dull as he looked at the snowstorm raging over nightly Russian landscape. He couldn't understand why his mom – a doctor who could've worked anywhere – had chosen to work in that God forsaken country, and much less why she'd chosen to drag her entire family along to suffer. They'd stayed in that place, in that small house, for two long weeks, and each and every day Tyson wished he would've been anywhere else._

_He suddenly jumped when there was a sound of outdoor being opened, then talking that sounded almost… angry. Curious as always, he carefully inched the door of his room, despite the fact that he should've been asleep for hours ago._

_He saw his mom – whose long, ash-coloured hair fell on a plait over the back of her black jacket – and his dad, who seemed deeply angered. In her arms, his mom held a dual-hared boy with blue-painted cheeks. It seemed that the child was unconscious. " Noriko, you are not bringing that… thing in here!" his father roared._

_His mother's eyes – that held a shade of deep purple – flashed as she looked at her husband. " He's not a thing, Joshua! He's got high fever – he would've died in there!"_

_Following her as she made her way towards living room, his dad had a frown of irritation and worry upon his face. " What if that hurts Tyson or Hiro?"_

_Still led by his curiosity, Tyson sneaked out of his room to hear what his parents were saying. He wanted to know who that strange boy was. Peaking into living room, he saw his mom covering the child gently with a blanket. " Joshua, for heaven's sake! He's a sick, small child who'll die without proper care! I will not take him back into that hell!"_

_Tyson's dad had his back towards him, so he couldn't see the look upon the man's face. But the disgusted voice told everything necessary. " That place creates monsters, Noriko. Creatures that are only trained to kill." The man shook his head. " I can't believe you can work in a place like that, much less that you actually brought one of those… ogres into our home, close to your own children!"_

_The child moaned softly, face contorted with pain. Noriko whispered something soothing to him and gently stroked his forehead before looking back at her husband. " Because these children – who are abused on daily basis – have a heart and feelings. If there wouldn't be people who actually care about them…" Her eyes were almost teary as she looked at the unconscious child. " … they'd really end up losing their humanity. And I'm not going to let that happen, whatever it takes."_

_Just then, there was a loud, demanding knock on their door. Tyson immediately rushed back into his room, not wanting to be caught up so late. Leaving the door of his room slightly open, he watched as his mother opened the outdoor, visibly bracing herself for what was to come. Behind the door stood a group of five men, lead by a tall, purple-hared man who had a pair of the most chilling eyes Tyson had ever seen. For a long time they argued loudly in a language Tyson couldn't understand._

_Tyson almost yelped in frighten when a hand was suddenly placed onto his shoulder. Turning his head, he met the sleepy, confused face of his big-brother Hiro, who'd been woken up by the sounds of quarrelling. " What's going on?" the older boy whispered._

_Tyson replied by placing a finger over his lips – signalling that it wasn't time for questions – and after Hiro had nodded in understanding the brothers kept watching._

_The fighting finally ceased when their father came out of living room, frown upon his face, fists clenched into tight balls. He was obviously prepared to protect his family. " Noriko, who are these people?"_

_There was a slight hint of fear in Noriko's eyes as she looked at her husband. " These… are my supervisor and his men. They came for the boy."_

" _Dr. Granger", the tall leader of the men spoke in accented Japanese, eyes gleaming. " You must understand that Kai belongs into the Abbey." The eyes turned dark, even more sinister than they'd been. " Or would you like to be reminded?" Turning his head, the man said something to one of his men in that language Tyson didn't know._

_Noriko gave a loud gasp when the ordered man nodded and stepped up, standing beside also gasping Joshua with gun pointing at his head. " No", she whispered, eyes widening with sheer terror. " I… I don't have to be reminded."_

_The purple-hared man smirked cruelly. " Very wise." The man graphed Noriko's wrist. " Now come with us, and your family will be left in peace."_

_Look of absolute defeat in her eyes, Noriko looked at Joshua. " I'm sorry."_

_The man shook his head, eyes widening with indescribable fear. " Noriko, no!"_

_But two of the tall man's men were already escorting her away. As she disappeared through the door, it was the last time Tyson ever saw his mother alive. The next morning, they'd received a devastating phone-call; Dr. Noriko Granger had died when driving off a bridge with her car._

_After giving some harsh orders to the two men left, the purple-hared man also disappeared. While the first man was still pointing at Joshua with the gun, the second went into living room and came back a second later, carrying the barely conscious dual-hared boy. The men shared a nod, and the other swatted Joshua with his gun, so hard that the man fell unconscious. His two sons watching could barely suppress threatening screams of terror and immense worry._

_Just before the men left, the strange boy's barely open burgundy eyes locked to Tyson's. And for that one, brief moment before the door was closed between them, something strong and mysterious drifted between them, almost like a link of two souls had been formed._ /

**¨**

Max gasped, eyes widening. " Tyson…"

Tears were running down Tyson's pale cheeks. " My mom… was one of the doctors of the Abbey." He gulped away another heave, shivering. " She worked for those monsters."

**¨**

When Kai entered the hotel-room he and his grandfather were occupying, he wasn't expecting a warm welcome. That's why he wasn't surprised, didn't even utter a sound, when he was greeted by his grandfathers hand that slapped him so hard he almost fell. " Where the hell have you been?" the man roared, eyes flaming with fury that almost froze Kai's heart. " Haven't I been clear enough with explaining to you how important it is that you never leave this hotel room alone, much less without my permission?"

" I'm sorry", Kai growled, eyes flashing. " Perhaps you should put a collar around my neck so I wouldn't run away, grandfather." His voice was filled with venom when he said the last word.

Voltaire's eyes flashed, and for a while Kai was sure the man would punch him again. Instead, however, his grandfather gave a low, almost animalistic growl and turned around, walking up to the small table on which he kept a bottle of whisky. Kai watched with repulsion as the man poured some liquid into a fancy glass and gulped it down; he knew perfectly what his grandfather would become like when the man was drunk. Taking another glass-full, his grandfather eyed him with strange, almost hungry eyes, and he looked back, not letting a single emotion slip through. All this time, heavy, electric silence lingered between them.

" What's going on?" Kai finally asked, voice filled with suspicion.

His grandfather's eyes showed emotions – anxiousness, impatience, anticipation – which took him completely by surprise. Never before had he seen the man like this. " Grandson, you have managed to collect many bit-beasts for me."

He nodded, confused even further. " Yes. So?"

" The power is now almost complete. Soon, I will be able to reach the ultimate goal", Voltaire said, eyes flashing.

This obviously meant that Kai would have to steal bit-beasts again. The thought made his mind scream with horror and desperation.

_No, no, no… Please, don't make me do it! Please… I… I can't do it, I won't, no more…_

'The thing' inside of him, however, was tightly in control over him, and his face remained expressionless. " Who is the target this time?" his voice asked in a chilling, emotionless tone.

" This will be the last opponent you'll have to face, grandson. After this, we will finally be ready", his grandfather replied.

Pieces begun to click in Kai's mind. According to what he'd seen when observing the group that claimed to know him, their bit-beasts were strong, possibly the strongest ones in the world. And they were conveniently just around the corner.

Sheer horror rose inside of Kai. Did this mean…? Would he have to rise up against… them?

_Oh my gosh…_

True enough, he didn't know if those people were friends, foes, or if the affection he felt for them was just a trick of imagination. But the idea of crushing them…

With all his might, he tried to force his muscles to operate, to make himself attack on his grandfather and run away to warn the group. But his body wasn't under his own control. " Very well", his voice stated. " As long as it's not a punch of pathetic rookies."

His grandfather had a much too familiar ice-cold smile upon his lips. " Oh grandson, believe me, these are definitely not rookies." His grandfather's eyes lit into a flame. " It is time for you to face the Bladebreakers."

**¨**

TBC.

**¨**

A/N: Oh yes, you can just sense it in the air, can't you? The big encounter of Kai and the Bladebreakers is finally approaching! Soon, it will be the moment of truth! Will they be able to restore Kai's memories?

Stick around for next chapter, everyone! And oh, that's right… Please do review!

(1) Because I don't want you to get confused with all these quick flashbacks, I'll tell you where these are from. (After all, it's impossible to remember all the scenes from Beyblade! I only remembered these because I just saw the episodes they're from.) The first one's from 'Live and Let Kai!', near the end where Tyson confronts Kai. The second (and second-last) are (quite obviously) from 'Breaking the Ice' – first Tyson and Ray facing Kai, then (after Max had shoved up) Tyson adding Dranzer to the party. The third one's from Kai and Max's first battle. (Uuh, even though season 1 episodes are currently rolling around here, that was a loooong time ago even for me!) The last one's my own doing, from chapter six where Kai and Nadja fought.


	25. Challenge

A/N: Hi, everyone! The new chapter is here!

Wow! I just… I can't believe those reviews of yours! Thank you **so much**! (hugs you tightly) Your appreciation is just overwhelming! Do you have any idea of how great honour it is to an author that you guys have actually been sticking around for this long, and still haven't gotten fed up? If that doesn't inspire me to try my very hardest, nothing will!

Oh, if there'll be something new between Tyson and Kai… I'm sorry, but I can't really say a lot about that without revealing too much! But people, no worries, whatever happens, their relationship will **never** become a romantic one!

Okay, okay, I suppose it's time to carry on – I've been a real meanie with keeping you in such suspension for such a long time! 'Hope you'll enjoy chapter 25! You'll find out some more about Tyson's past…

**¨**

CHAPTER 25: Challenge

/ _When a six-years-old Tyson woke up early in the morning after his mother had been taken away by the tall, purple-hared man and his men, he heard a knock on their door. Frowning, he sneaked out of his bed and tossed to the door of he and Hiro's room, peering out. What he saw made his frown grow even deeper._

_By the doorway stood his grandfather, whom he'd seen only about three times before, because the elder and his father were always fighting. Even at that moment, his father was shouting something at the older man in a language Tyson couldn't understand. Eventually the elder managed to shout something back, and his father immediately went mute, stumbling back as if he'd been punched. As the elder went on speaking, with a little less volume, Tyson suddenly noticed the rivers of tears running down his ghostly-pale cheeks. His confusion turned into near-panic when his usually strong and controlled father also broke down into tears as he listened to the older man, burying his face into his hands._

_Feeling very cold all of a sudden, Tyson wrapped his arms around himself, shivering._

_What the heck was going on?_ /

**¨**

Tyson didn't register seconds, minutes and hours slipping by as he sat on his bed, shivering all over, legs brought up against his chest. Nor did he sense the tears rolling down his cheeks.

What he'd found out about his mother… It answered to so many questions. Why his father would never answer the questions concerning her death, why his grandpa didn't want to say another word of her – his only child…

It felt like a part of him had been brutally revived, and it hurt, almost more than he could handle. Everything made so much sense now. He finally understood why he'd felt these… chills run through him the second he'd first seen Boris – and why it'd been like a reunion when he and Kai had first met beside that bridge.

A familiar voice suddenly cut the flood of thoughts. " Dude, I think I should have a little word with you." Gosh, he'd never heard his grandpa's voice that tense, that… sad – or well, not since his mother's funeral. Slowly lifting his chin, he saw the elder stood by the doorway. " Your friends told me about your… discovery, and…" The man cleared his throat nervously. " Can I enter?"

Giving a nod of acceptance, he signalled the man that it was okay to step in. Seeming perhaps even more nervous, the elder closed the door and walked up to him, taking a seat beside him. Thick silence lingered between them for a moment that felt endless, until the man spoke. " Tyson, dude… I'm sorry."

He shook his head, not looking at his grandpa. " You shouldn't be. You… You're not the one who… tortured all those kids…" _Tortured Kai…_

The elder sighed. When he spoke again, his voice was so stern and harsh that it immediately caught all of Tyson's attention. " I told your father that we should've had this conversation for years ago, but he was so stubborn, said that it would… harm you. But you're almost an adult now. It's about time you'll learn to know certain things." He could feel the man's piercing eyes on him. " Tyson, look at me." Obeying, he met a pair of teary, yet burning orbs. " For all her life, your mother wanted to protect those who couldn't take care of themselves. That's why she became a doctor – and that's why she worked in the Abbey." Tears almost fell, and the old man looked away. " Seeing how much those children suffered was pure torture for her, but she had to go through it – even though it forced her to do things that made her feel sick of guilt. If it wasn't for people like her, all those children would've turned into monsters. She wanted to give them at least a tiny piece of all the love and affection they would've deserved." He once again looked at Tyson, still glimmering eyes harder than stone. " You have to understand that she never wanted to work for Voltaire and Boris. No matter what your father or anyone else tells you, what she did was valuable – or no, vital – for tens of children. Don't ever forget about that."

A couple of tears slid down Tyson's cheeks. When he spoke, his voice was raw and thick with emotions. " How can you know?"

His grandpa looked away again. This time, overwhelming mixture of pain, guilt and sorrow could be seen in his usually gentle eyes. " Because… She wasn't the only one who worked for Biovolt for the sake of those poor kids." The man closed his eyes. " Tyson… I was a guard in the Abbey. I was the one… the one who brought your mom into that hell which claimed her life." Tears slid down his old, paled cheek-skin. " I… I held her… when she died."

**¨**

/ _Himuro _(**1**) _Granger had never in his life ran as fast, as desperately, as he did when approaching the completely shattered car-wreck laying under a small Russian bridge. All over the car, fire-fighters, medics and police-men were buzzing around, blocking the view from him. But he didn't have to see who was in the car to know… _

_Blurred pieces of discussion absently reached his ears. " … doesn't look like an accident…like it'd been pushed off the bridge… murder…"_

_Tears were running down his cheeks without him noticing it when the mob people suddenly moved so that he saw the woman laying in the car, horrifyingly motionless. " Noriko!" _

_One of the medics immediately stepped up to him, restraining him. " Sir, you can't…"_

" _She's my daughter!" he roared in Russian like a full-grown bear, eyes gleaming with tears and sheer desperation. " Please, let me through… Please… I want to… I have to…"  
Finally seeming to realize his anguish, the medic nodded and released him. Not bothering to give any signs of gratitude, he dashed like a madman to his daughter, hoping, praying… He paid no attention to the people who moved out of his way when seeing the Biovolt-uniform he was wearing, looks of fear upon their faces._

_Almost like fearing that she might break under his fingertips, he carefully brushed Noriko's cheek, bloodied by the horrible wound on her head. " N – Noriko…? Aisuru?"_

_Slowly, painfully, she inched her eyelids. Despite the immense pain she was definitely in, she smiled slightly when seeing him. " Otou-chan…", she whispered, voice so painfully weak that she was definitely already fading away. Just then, a wave of pain seemed to go through her, as she squeezed her eyes tightly shut and grit her teeth, some tears escaping. " It… it hurts… so much…" She cried out in agony and sorrow. " Tasukete kure!"_

_Tears rolled even harder down his cheeks as he desperately stroked his daughter's hair and face. " I… I can't help you, Noriko… I can't…" He almost choked on his sobs. " Gomen nasai, aisuru… I'm so sorry I failed you…"_

_She inched her eyelids again, weak ghost of a smile appearing the her terrifyingly pale face. " You never failed me, otou-chan… Never…" She had to gather her strength for a long time before she could continue. " I… I need you… to promise me… Please, take care of Tyson, Hiro and Joshua… They… they won't understand…" Darkening eyes filled with desperate pleading, she looked at him with a gaze that showed she was already far away. " Onegai…"_

_By then, he was crying so hard he could barely speak. His entire soul was tearing into thousands of pieces when he nodded, having no intention to fail his daughter now. " Of course", he whispered, although he had no idea of how he could fulfil his promise, when he was already falling apart. How could he ever take care of anyone, when he hadn't been able to protect his own child?_

_Not hearing his thoughts, Noriko smiled, despite all her pain seeming relieved, almost serene. " Arigatou, otou-chan… Daisuki desu…" When her eyes fluttered closed, he could tell she was seeing something no living being could. " Okaa-chan, tadaima…" _(A/N: " Mommy, I'm home…")

_After that, she took one last, deep breath, before her chest ceased from rising and falling, and she fell completely limp. All colour seemed to fade from her face; it was almost like very life had been sucked out of her._

_Himuro's eyes filled with terror, tears fell even harder. " Noriko? NORIKO, NO!" As he threw his head back and screamed, the echo of his voice was left lingering into the barriers of the bridge. " I hate you!"_ /

**¨**

About three hours after Tyson's shocking discovery of his family, the dojo was finally calm. With the Russians returned to the BBA-headquarters and Tyson's grandpa going out to give his grandson time to think, it was just the remaining Bladebreakers left.

Discovering that he wouldn't be able to get any sleep that night with millions of thoughts whirling inside his mind, Max decided that he needed some fresh air to sort things out in his head. Getting out of the dojo, he was slightly surprised to find Ray sitting on the stairs of the porch. " Hi", he murmured, taking a seat beside his friend. It took a while before he continued. " Is this all getting a bit too… overwhelming for you too?"

Staring at the his blade he was holding, Ray nodded. " Yeah, 'suppose so." There was a brief, thoughtful pause. " Did you get Tyson to bed?"

It was Max's turn to nod. " Definitely not an easy task, though." He gave a deep sigh, shaking his head. " I've never seen him this messed up, Ray. It scares me."

Ray hesitated for a while before voicing his thoughts. " I can't believe you still look after him like this, after everything he's put you through."

" I still care about him a lot. Nothing's ever gonna change that", Max replied, a distant look in his eyes. " I will never stop watching over him, no matter what happens between us. Nothing he does could ever wipe away how much he means to me."

A smile came to Ray's features. It was almost impossible to believe that this mature person beside him was really the Max Tate he'd learned to know. " You've changed, you know?"

" I guess this… turmoil has affected us all", Max replied softly, a small smile playing on his lips as well. After a while of silence, he got up, stretching. " I think we should go back inside. It's getting cold out here."

Giving a nod of acceptance, Ray also got up and followed him. All of a sudden, just before entering, he frowned when sensing something strange in the air. But as he turned his head, he saw nothing in the darkness.

_Must be my imagination playing tricks on me._

What neither he or Max saw was that from the shadows, not too far away, a dark figure observed them.

**¨**

Night cast its dark shadows over the room where slept far more people that comfortably fit it. Loud snoring punctured the silence as a shadow soundlessly entered. Skilfully avoiding stepping onto any of the people sleeping on the floor, a figure made its way to the small nightstand and placed there a white envelope that shone ghostly in the moonlight. Taking a one last glance around the room, the figure disappeared like one of the shadows.

Ray's eyes snapped open when he woke up from his light sleep, and he quickly scanned through the room, sensing something. He frowned. Nothing seemed to be wrong.

Except for one thing.

Frowning again, he got up and walked up to the nightstand, taking the envelope to his hand.

_To the Bladebreakers_, it said in a neat handwriting he recognized immediately.

Anxiousness and curiosity filling his mind, he opened the envelope and fished out the small note.

_Come to the old warehouse in two hours, and feel free to bring those friends of yours along. It's time to bring certain things into a closure._

_Kai Hiwatari_

Ray arched an eyebrow. Kai wanted to meet them? What was the Russian up to?

They'd have to go, he soon realized. This was possibly their last chance to get Kai back. They couldn't afford to miss it.

Having made up his mind, he woke up the others and gave the note to them.

**¨**

It had taken for hours of convincing and pleading, but eventually Mr. Dickinson – with the aid of all the other Russians who were under his care – had managed to persuade Dara to go to sleep. She'd been through rough months, and all the strikes of disappointment attached to the fact that she hardly slept an eyeful per night had really worn her out.

After laying in his bed for hours without even closing his eyes, Tala decided that he desperately needed something else to think about than Kai. He got out of the bed slowly, careful not to wake up Nadja, who'd been curled up beside him. It had taken for hours before she'd finally fallen asleep, and she really needed rest after all the sleepless nights she'd had since her brother's disappearance. Waking her up now would've been the cruelest possible thing to do.

Tala gave her a glance while getting dressed, and couldn't help but smile. Her forehead and nose were slightly wrinkled in an irritated manner, quiet dissatisfied words escaped through her lips. Both of her hands were squeezed into tight balls, as if she'd been angry about something. Locks of chin-length black hair traveled down her slightly rosy cheeks.

_Adorable_, he decided.

Shaking the thought away, Tala gave her forehead a small, light kiss, and all the wrinkles immediately disappeared under his lips. A soft moan escaped Nadja's lips when he turned around and silently left the room.

Some minutes later, he found himself behind Alissa's door. After giving it a quick thought, he knocked quietly. He wanted to talk to someone, and after his sister had been watching over Dimitrei all night to allow Dara to rest, he figured so did she. " Lissa?" he whispered, inching the door.

" Come in, but be quiet. Dimitrei just fell asleep", Alissa whispered back.

Stepping in and facing the view, he felt smile tucking the corners of his lips. Alissa was laying on her bed, reading a Russian book. Dimitrei was asleep right beside her, snuggled against her and tightly clutching to her shirt. Alissa had carefully placed a warm blanket onto the child, and her other arm was wrapped around him in a protective manner, shielding him from all harm. " Geez, Lissa", Tala whispered. " You're seriously handling him like a real mother."

For a moment, he could've sworn something strange flashed in Alissa's eyes, but the girl quickly disguised it. Putting away the book, she carefully sneaked out of the bed, not willing to disturb Dimitrei's sleep. " What's up?"

Tala shrugged, feeling really embarrassed all of a sudden. He scratched his head. " I… don't know", he replied bluntly. " I just… wanted to talk."

Smiling knowingly, Alissa nodded. " It's okay, Tallie", she assured him, then walked up to a small table on which she had a teapot and some mugs. " This is herbal tea, helps me relax", she explained, then looked at him. " You want some?"

He shrugged again. " Why not. I like it…"

" … extra-strong", Alissa filled in, smirking. " I know. So do I."

As Alissa started preparing the drinks, her back to him, Tala suddenly noticed something that made him frown. Usually, his sister wore long-sleeved shirts that covered her arms, but now… The nightgown revealed a long, awful scar that ran all the way from her shoulder to the tip of her index-finger. And on her shoulder was tattooed a picture of black wings – a Russian tribal tattoo, no doubt about it; Tala had seen quite a number of those in the Abbey, where a huge amount of the kids came from streets and gangs. " You're staring", Alissa stated in a tight voice.

He blinked his eyes. " Sorry… I just…" His frown deepened. " Lissa… Back when you were living on the streets, without me, mom and dad… What did you do?"

Alissa shuttered like she'd been electrocuted, and another one of the tea-mugs fell. She still refused to look at him, but when she spoke, her shivering voice was rigid and quiet. " I… I would rather… not talk about it."

" Lissa…"

Luckily for Alissa, her cell-phone started to ring just then, interrupting Tala. She gathered herself for a while – still not showing her face to him – before taking the phone, picking up. " Ray? Why are you calling this late?" For a long moment, the girl listened, then gave a loud gasp. " What!"

**¨**

About half an hour from when the gang had received the note, a rather small red-haired boy sat in Mr. Dickinson's office, his green eyes flaming furiously. " That creep just stole my bit-beast! Aren't you going to do a thing to find him?" he roared, face getting a slight red tint of fury and frustration.

It was almost impossible for Mr. D not to roar at the boy. That 'creep' might be my grandson! (**2**) His face, however, carefully hid all his feelings, and when he spoke, his voice was nothing but calm and even. " Daichi, calm down", he tried to soothe the newest discovery of his agents. " I understand that this is very, very difficult for you, but BBA is already working its hardest. I afraid that at the moment… All you can do is wait."

" Wait!" Daichi yelped in absolute, utter helplessness.

" Yes", Mr. Dickinson stated calmly, smiling just slightly. " Don't worry, Daichi. You will get your Strata Dragoon back. I promise you."

Daichi snorted and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms across his chest. " Well, those pointless pledges won't make me feel any better now, huh?"

Suddenly, the door of the office was thrown open. Surprised, the two turned their heads to see Tala, Bryan, Alissa and Dara standing there, all with tense, anxious looks upon their faces. Something was definitely up.

Mr. D frowned. " What's wrong?"

" Tyson called us", Tala replied in a voice as uptight as his expression. " Something's come up."

**¨**

Five minutes later, the Bladebreakers entered the building where Mr. Dickinson held his office. Almost having reached their destination, they suddenly bumped into a very annoyed-looking, small red-haired boy. " Huh, sorry 'bout that!" Tyson apologized.

" Watch where you're going, will you?" the boy growled.

As the gang looked at the boy, they – as well the kid himself – were suddenly overwhelmed by a sudden sensation of familiarity. Tyson felt this searing, nearly insane rage, but also deep companionship, almost respect. Ray and Max, on the other hand, both felt intense irritation, almost hatred, flood through their veins, slowly melting to some form of friendship.

It was almost like a reflection of some other life, another dimension.

The strange moment was, however, soon over as a male-voice called out for the strange boy. " Hey, Sumeragi, are you coming or what?" Looking towards the new voice, the gang noticed a slightly older teenager leaning against a wall. He had his impressively long, silvery hair on a flawless ponytail, and a red circle decorating his forehead. Somehow chillingly familiar blue eyes showed annoyance and arrogance. Looking at them, the boy gave a ghost of a frown, then snorted and turned around, beginning to walk away.

Another glimpse from different dimension.

The redhead rolled his eyes. " Yeah, yeah, Garland. Hold your horses, bossman", the boy replied, then sprinted after the other.

For a long moment the Bladebreakers stood still, staring at the duo disappear in complete stun, unable to understand what had happened. " Wow", Tyson finally stated. " That was… weird."

" Ditto", Kenny confirmed.

With that, they walked into Mr. Dickinson's office, where the others were waiting for them.

" I don't like this, not at all", Mr. D told them extremely seriously after hearing the story and reading the note.

" We have to go there, we have no other choice", Bryan stated in a tone that gave no room for objections.

With a sigh, Mr. D nodded, knowing that he had no choice. Whatever he'd say or do, those teenagers would go to that meeting. And truth to be told, he would've desperately wanted to go with them. " Alright then. I hate the idea, but I'm letting you go." His eyes were stern. " But if you don't call me in an hour, I'm calling the police. Understood?"

" Okay", they all agreed.

" Can Dimitrei stay here in the meantime?" Dara asked. There was clear anxiousness set into her eyes. "He's asleep, and… It… it wouldn't be a good idea to take him along."

Mr. D nodded, smiling slightly. " Yes, of course." The smile, however, soon died, and his eyes became hard. " Be extremely careful, alright? We all know what Voltaire is capable of. There's no knowing what kind of Kai you'll be facing."

**¨**

The old warehouse was completely dark, thousands of hungry shadows lingered like phantoms on the walls, almost as if waiting for a soul to claim theirs.

Kai was oblivious to the eeriness of his surroundings as he sat nearby the rooftop, burgundy eyes closed. Thoughts whirred messily behind seemingly indifferent expression.

What he was about to do should've felt like he was fulfilling his destiny – after all, this was what he'd been made for. His entire purpose was to become the bearer of the greatest power there is. So… Why was his heart hurting, what was the almost deafening sound inside of him that tried to tell him this was wrong?

Damnit, his head was so messed up by memories and the words – lies – his grandfather had told him that it was impossible to separate truth from imaginary fairytales.

Were those people who'd felt so familiar his friends, or was his mind just creating stories to save his sanity? Were all those painfully beautiful glimpses of past – those feelings of acceptance, trust and friendship – just his imagination?

Suddenly, he heard a voice so thin that he first thought it was just the wind. ' _Master._'

Snapping his eyes open, he looked down – and involuntarily gave a small gasp when seeing a girl with impossibly long, fire-red hair standing there, looking straight at him with her ruby-red eyes. She seemed almost… transparent, like she'd been a just a hologram. On her she had a pair of red pants, also red boots and a fire-colored tank-top. In some completely incomprehensible way, he knew that the voice inside his head was hers. " Dranzer…", he whispered, something waking up in the depths his heart.

' _Master, remember me, please. Don't let darkness suffocate the fire inside your heart._' Her eyes filled with affection. ' _When your friends come, trust them. Trust me._'

Feeling unbearable pain tear through his entire being, Kai squeezed his eyes tightly shut. When he opened them again, the girl was gone. He gave a small, pained sound, for some ridiculous reason feeling like he'd been abandoned.

Suddenly, there was a sensation of warmth against his leg. Frowning, he stuck his hand into his pocket, fishing out Black Dranzer. True enough, the blade was shining this almost frightening dark light.

And at that moment, looking at the invincible black blade, he finally felt absolutely sure about something. Although he could trust on no human-being, this blade was something he could rely on. He could trust on its power – no matter how dark it was.

Just then, the door of the warehouse opened.

**¨**

Precisely two hours after receiving the note, the gang entered the warehouse, looking around cautiously, prepared for anything. There was no trace of Kai, but they noticed that in the middle of the dusty hall had been built a shining new bey-dish.

So that was Kai's idea of bringing things to closure.

" Tyson… Don't you see what's creepy about this?" Kenny suddenly whispered, his voice shivering a tiniest bit.

" Hmm?" the bluenette absentmindedly inquired, not really paying too much attention to the computer-whiz.

" Back when Kai was the captain of the Blade Sharks… This is the warehouse where he had his 'headquarters'."

When a huge gasp of realization escaped Tyson, Dara frowned. " The Blade Sharks?" she asked.

Tyson merely shook his head, pain showing in his eyes. " It's… a long story."

She nodded, and for a while they looked around in silence, waiting.

" Where is he?" Bryan finally exclaimed, the suspense becoming too much for him. " If he wants to battle, he should at least show up!"

" Impatient, I see", came a familiar voice.

Lifting their gazes, they saw Kai standing on a ledge, looking down at them, face as cold and emotionless as ever. Not saying a word, Kai jumped down and approached them, finally standing a small distance away, arms crossed over his chest.

" What's this about?" Tala asked, his blue eyes filled with suspicion.

" I am going to take your bit-beasts", Kai replied bluntly, not a trace of emotion in his tone. " But first, I want to have a little fun with you."

Dara stepped forward, showing herself to Kai for a first time. Everyone surprised when seeing a familiar flash in Kai's eyes when he saw the girl. Would she manage to trigger his memory?

Dara's eyes were filled with grief. " Kai, please, don't do this to us. We care about you. Don't force us to fight against you."

Kai snorted. " You've all fought me before. What's the difference now?"

Aha, so Kai _did _remember something.

" We only fought you to bring you back, to save you from Black Dranzer", Ray told Kai in a firm voice. " We do care about you, Kai. Let us help."

Kai lifted an eyebrow. " Help me? Save me? You don't have any idea of how much shit I've been put through because of you! Only Black Dranzer has been there for me!"

" No, Kai." This time it was Nadja. Her eyes were burning. " Giving into the darkness is not an act strength." She seemed outraged. " Believe me when I say this: Voltaire is the one responsible for your pain, not your we! You were the one who taught me that, remember? You were the one who saved me." Her eyes were filled with affection. " Please, Kai. Let us get you out of this. Let us help you remember who are really on your side."

For a long time Kai looked at them, a huge set of emotions flashing in his eyes.

" Kai?" Dara whispered, tears in her eyes. " Please?"

She offered Kai her hand, and the tension could've been cut with a knife as Kai looked at it, debuting. For a short second, he reached out his own hand, but then pulled it back, all emotions disappearing from his auburn eyes. It was almost like something had taken control over him. " I called you here to battle, not to chat. So let's get started, shall we?"

The gang knew perfectly what the price could be, but they also realized that they had no choice. This was their only chance to bring Kai back.

They nodded.

**¨**

TBC.

**¨**

A/N: Ough! I can already sense those murderous glares of yours for leaving you on a cliffhanger like that!

I hope I didn't screw up royally with flashing those season three… things. I've only ever seen the episode 'Beyblading spirit' from that season, and that via internet, but I've read so much about it from different sites that I couldn't resist!

But anyway… Will Kai finally get his memories back? You'll **finally** find out in next chapter! Until then… Please, **PLEASE** review!

(1) I don't think Tyson's grandpa's name has ever been mentioned in the series, so… Himuro was my own doing. (grins)

(2) I'm not sure if you guys remember this, but in chapter 12, it was mentioned that Mr. Dickinson might be Kai and Nadja's grandfather. Uh-huh…


	26. Déjà vu

A/N: Oh yes, the chapter is finally here! It's finally time to find out whether Kai will regain his memory or end up trashing his friends' blades!

First things first… WOW! You guys actually like this story, huh? After all this time. I just… I can't believe this! (sits down in shock) Thank you from the deepest… depths of my soul! You have no idea of how valuable you are! (HUGS)

Okay, you guys are probably gonna strangle me if I won't get on with the story, so without anything further… Here it comes! Hope you'll like!

Oh, one more thing! The song in this chapter is "Bring me to life" by Evanescence. And as much as I'd love to, I don't own a single word from it.

**¨**

CHAPTER 26: Déjà vu

**¨**

_/ **how can you see into my eyes like open doors  
leading you down into my core  
where I've become so numb without a soul my spirit sleeping somewhere cold  
until you find it there and lead it back home**_ /

**¨**

The gang-members shared stern looks, all sending the same message.

_Don't lose. For your bit-beasts, and especially for Kai._

" Who wants to go first?" Tyson asked them.

" No." Kai's voice brought all their attention to the boy. " I told you that I want to have some fun, didn't I? Where's the fun if I defeat you all in less than five minutes?"

Tala arched an eyebrow, having some dark ideas. " Then what are you suggesting?"

Kai's eyes flashed. " You all against me."

This took the gang by surprise. They had a massive overpower! What the heck was Kai planning? There was no way he'd be able to defeat them!

" Alright", they finally agreed. " As you wish."

Giving a humph, Kai walked up to the dish and took his place on the other side. The Russian prepared his launcher, looking at them expectantly. " You coming? I don't have all day."

With a slight hesitance, the gang walked up to the dish as well, and prepared for the battle.

" Okay, guys, here goes nothing." Kenny sounded more tense than ever. " 3… 2… 1… LET IT RIP!"

And so the battle begun.

But to Kai's great surprise, every single one of his opponents brought him memories. And to his shock, he now remembered names for the faces. Every name and memory brought him pain.

" LUMERA!"

/ _Alissa sitting beside Tala's hospital-bed._ /

" FALBORG!"

/ _He and Bryan meeting for a first time as kids, crying Bryan telling how his mom was killed._ /

" WOLBORG!"

/ _He and Tala as kids, Tala bandaging his nasty wounds, he biting his lip not to cry in pain._ /

" DRACIEL!"

/ _He and Max practicing blading together, his Dranzer pushing Max's blade off the dish._ /

" DRAGOON!"

/ _Tyson reaching out for his hand at the lake Baikal, tears in the boy's blue eyes._ /

" DRIGER!"

/ _Ray comforting him as he woke up from yet another nightmare._ /

" GALEIDON!"

/ _He as a kid, teaching Nadja – his sister – blading, both of them laughing._ /

" ZEBA!"

/ _He and Dara hugging each other tightly._ /

It took all of Kai's might to keep a gasp from coming. So many memories… So many people who cared about him… " BLACK DRANZER!"

He couldn't give up. There was no turning back, not anymore. He'd came too far. Perhaps those people had been his friends, but that was now long lost.

All the other blades crushed against his and despite resistance he winced, feeling horrifying pain hit his body. Sparks flew in mighty showers, sound of blades screeching was almost deafening.

_Damnit, these people are strong!_

Dara had tears in her eyes as she looked at him. " Kai, please, don't make us do this! I love you! Don't make me hurt you!"

_Love… you…_

Kai's eyes widened, his feelings were no longer under his control. Black Dranzer screeched and attacked its opponents mercilessly, creating destruction. Some of the other blades flew off the dish.

_No…_

" Kai, please!" Nadja begged, first tears running down her cheeks. " We care about you, you have to remember! Stop this, please!"

And he did remember.

**¨**

_/ **(Wake me up)  
Wake me up inside  
(I can't wake up)  
Wake me up inside  
(Save me)  
call my name and save me from the dark  
(Wake me up)  
bid my blood to run  
(I can't wake up)  
before I come undone  
(Save me)  
save me from the nothing I've become**_ /

**¨**

Silent tears were rolling down Kai's tattooed cheeks.

" We believe in you!" Tyson screamed, stormy eyes burning.

" Come back to us!" Tala hollered, blue eyes pleading.

" We need you!" Ray joined in, amber eyes filled with affection.

It was too much, far too much… Kai's head and heart were hurting as the memories returned, bringing back all the suffering, all the tears, all the sorrow.

He squeezed his hands tightly against his head, like that could've locked out the pain, and slowly sunk to his knees onto the floor. " AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"

" KAI!" He couldn't tell who was screaming, perhaps it was the all of them.

The attacks of the others finally paid off. Black Dranzer fell off the dish, falling to Kai's knees.

The gang didn't know what to do as they looked at Kai, who screamed in pain, over and over again, tears rolling down his cheeks. (Their cheeks weren't dry either.) At first Dara thought about going to the boy, but then decided not to. She didn't know if Kai still remembered; she couldn't be sure he wouldn't hurt her. It took all of her self-control, but she stood still, watching, waiting.

**¨**

_/ **now that I know what I'm without  
you can't just leave me  
breathe into me and make me real  
bring me to life**_ /

**¨**

Kai felt like someone had been pushing thousands of knives deep into his flesh, and he squeezed his eyes tightly shut and wrapped his arms around himself, desperately trying to overcome the pain. " P – please…", he gasped to no one in particular, tears of pain escaping. " Make… it stop…"

But if anything, the agony became even worse, and he gave a moan that should've rather came from a wounded animal as it reached its peak. Along with the pain, he could hear Voltaire's voice.

/ _" Why do you keep struggling? Just let it take over, grandson. Make it easier on yourself."_ /

" No…"

/ _" You are my own little robot now."_ /

Eyes still closed, Kai gritted his teeth. " I… am not… a mindless robot…"

/ _" Never forget that you belong to me, Kai. You are a Hiwatari. You will always be my possession."_ /

" I… am nobody's possession…"

/ _" Now you're finally mine."_ /

" NEVER!" he hollered, and gave a desperate scream when his entire body teemed with pain.

The others watched with extreme horror and worry as Kai kept making feral, heartbreaking screams of pain, tears of agony escaping and hands clenched tightly against his head. It was hard for even them to hold back tears. " We have to something!" Nadja almost screamed, teary voice filled with anguish. " He… he can't take much more of that!"

Tears almost spilling, Dara shook her head. " I can't just watch anymore." So saying, she rushed towards Kai, not giving a damn if he remembered her or not.

Kai was just about to lose his consciousness, when he suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap around him, steadying him. He tried to back away at first, thinking that the touch was meant to hurt him, but then realized that it was gentle, almost… protective. And… the pain was suddenly gone, almost like a switch had been flicked. The person hugging him whispered soothing words, but he couldn't hear any of them. Shivering all over, he allowed this person to hold him, too exhausted to protest when something as simple as breathing and staying conscious took all his energy.

When he finally had the strength it required, he slowly lifted his head a little and inched his heavy eyelids exhaustedly. He met a pair of teary sapphire eyes. " Hi", the girl whispered. Her protective hold on him tightening slightly, almost like she'd feared he might run away.

Not caring about the audience, Kai clung to her tightly and buried his face into her soft, purple hair, tears – this time ones of happiness and relief – escaping through tightly closed eyelids. " Dara…", he whispered, trying the name he'd longed to say for so long. " I'm so sorry…"

" Sh…" She parted from him slightly and, with a soft smile upon her face, wiped away his tears, not even noticing her own. " It's okay. You're back with us now. Everything's gonna work out."

**¨**

_/ **(Wake me up)  
Wake me up inside  
(I can't wake up)  
Wake me up inside  
(Save me)  
call my name and save me from the dark  
(Wake me up)  
bid my blood to run  
(I can't wake up)  
before I come undone  
(Save me)  
save me from the nothing I've become **_

Bring me to life  
(I've been living a lie, there's nothing inside)  
Bring me to life /

**¨**

Blinking his eyes, still in daze, Kai lifted his head a bit more and looked at all the people in the room, unable to understand how they could be there. " But… You all died… He slaughtered you… because of me…" (1)

" No", Bryan corrected. " That was what Voltaire wanted you to believe."

" Do we look like a punch of ghosts to you?" inquired Tala, a mischievous glint in his eyes. The redhead's entire essence was radiating tremendous relief.

With a small help from Dara, Kai got up to his legs that still felt awfully weak – but got tackled back down immediately as Nadja threw herself into his arms with a power that was too much for him. She clung to him with all her strength as she landed heavily onto his chest.

Having been harmed by every single touch he'd received for so such a long time, Kai felt himself tense under the embrace. " Nadja…"

" I'm sorry", his sister interrupted, sounding like she'd wanted to say those words for ages. She sobbed quietly. " God, I'm so sorry… I was so stupid…."

" Sh…." Relaxing when realizing that she wouldn't hurt him, he brushed the girl's hair gently, and slowly her sobs ceased. He whispered to her in Russian. " We both know what Voltaire is capable of. He's used us both. None of it was your fault, Nad. Everything's okay…"

When the girl finally released her hold of him, Kai was surprised to find a glowed hand offered towards him. Looking up, he met a pair of stormy, midnight-blue eyes filled with affection and relief. Blinking his eyes, feeling dazed once again, he took the hand, and Tyson's pull helped him to his still trembling feet. As soon as he was up, the Japanese threw his arms tightly around him, holding him as close as possible. " You have no idea of how much I've missed you", Tyson whispered.

At first, Kai hesitated for a longest time, eyes widening with wild panic as memories of everything Voltaire had put him through resurfaced. But… No… Tyson was his friend – he could trust on this boy. Tyson… Tyson wouldn't hurt him, ever – right?

Closing his eyes, he returned the hug, entire body shivering.

As soon as Tyson let go and Dara once again wrapped her arms protectively around Kai, burying her face into his chest, the Russian suddenly felt that he was being watched. Small frown upon his face, he lifted his gaze to find Tala looking back at him.

No matter how hard Kai had tried to cover his arms with brand new wrist-bands, Tala still spotted the bruises on them. There were several of those – smaller and bigger – but what froze Tala's blood were those on Kai's wrists. Rope-burns that cut deep into skin. " Kai…", he gasped, so quietly that the others – who were bouncing all over the place – couldn't hear. " What the hell did that piece of shit do to you?"

Kai's eyes immediately widened with sheer panic. The boy shook his head furiously, desperately, pleading look in his eyes. It was obvious that he wasn't going to answer.

But Kai's reaction was all the answer Tala needed. He found his blood, his entire body, boiling with such hatred that it almost scared him.

Gods, he was going to make Voltaire pay. He would skin that bastard alive.

After several minutes, the gang had finally calmed down enough to think of what to do next.

Kai looked at Black Dranzer with disgust in his eyes. " We have to destroy that, once and for all. Otherwise it'll never stop haunting us."

" We can do it", Max announced, voice bubbling with unwavering confidence. " All of us, together."

" Max is right", Kenny noted, typing on Dizzi. " According to my calculations, your joined power should be enough to destroy Black Dranzer."

Kai felt a sudden bang in his chest as he realized something. There was one blade that couldn't help with the destruction…

_Dranzer…_

How could he have betrayed the Phoenix so badly, again? Because of him, she'd been destroyed in that warehouse. He guessed he'd never deserved her in the first place.

" Kai." Ray's words woke him up from his thoughts. The neko-jin was standing before him with a small smile upon his face. " I believe this belongs to you."

Surprised, Kai took Ray's offering – and let out a small gasp. Sure enough, it was his blade – unharmed, the bit-chip shining brightly, expectantly.

He looked at Ray, bewildered. " How?"

Ray's smile widened. " I took the liberty to save her the day Voltaire took you."

For a first time in months, Kai let a small smile light up his features. " Thank you."

Ray shrugged, with a smirk just like Kai's trademark-one upon his face. " Whatever." The boy motioned towards the others, who were ready to begin the destruction. " Wanna take part?"

_Hell yeah!_

**¨**

_/ **frozen inside without your touch without your love darling only you are the life among the dead **_

all this time I can't believe I couldn't see  
kept in the dark but you were there in front of me  
I've been sleeping a thousand years it seems  
got to open my eyes to everything  
without a thought without a voice without a soul  
don't let me die here  
there must be something more  
bring me to life /

**¨**

Kai and Ray walked up to the dish, and, hatred squeezing his heart, Kai launched Black Dranzer for a one last time. He smirked coldly as he looked at it spinning on the dish.

Because of that blade, he'd lost his parents, his life, his free will, his dignity. Now, he finally had the chance to pay back.

_Time to say goodbye._

" You ready?" Kenny asked, though he already knew the answer. " 3… 2… 1… LET IT CRUSH!"

One by one, they all launched their blades. Gasps could be heard when all the blades started to glow as soon as they'd hit the dish, almost like they'd been in some sort of a connection with each other. The colorful display of light almost blinded them.

Lavender. Warm, deep brown. Ice-blue. Yellow. Midnight-blue. Rich green. Amber. Deep purple. And finally, ruby-red joined to the mixture of colors, and the glow became even brighter. The connection was complete.

Nine glowing blades flew towards the black blade, and hit it with all their strength. After that they hit it again, and again, for more times than they could count. Satisfied with their work, they called their blades back and watched Black Dranzer anxiously, waiting.

At first, it seemed that they'd failed. Not even wavering, Black Dranzer kept spinning, almost like mocking them. Then, all of a sudden, it begun to crack, piece by piece, until it laid on the dish completely destroyed. The only thing left unbroken was the bit-chip. Everyone else but Kai retreated with gasps as the huge, chillingly beautiful reddish-black bird emerged. " Kai, what are you doing! It's gonna hurt you!" Tyson yelled, fear in his voice.

Shaking his head, Kai begun approaching the expecting beast, nothing but certainty in his glowing eyes. " It won't touch me", he reassured his friends, stone-hard eyes tightly locked to the beast's fiery ones.

_No matter how little I like the idea, I'm its Master, the only one who can control it. Just like Dranzer and I, we'll always be bound to each other – unless I set it free._

As Kai was just one step away from the bird, he stood still and they looked at each other, studying one another. ' _Master?_' Black Dranzer's masculine voice eventually asked, anxiously, almost desperately.

_No one in this world should behold a creature with that much power_, Kai realized. _No one could resist the temptation it brings. Even I couldn't…_

Face calm and even, he nodded. ' _You are free to go now_'.

No further permission was needed. Everyone else but Kai gasped in surprise and disbelief as the dark beast and its Master shared a nod of understanding, and Black Dranzer rose to its magnificent wings, lighting up into a breathtaking flame, and flew up. ' _Thank you, Master_'. With that it disappeared through the ceiling. All that was left behind from the bit-beast was one black feather that slowly hovered to the floor and disappeared.

**¨**

_/ **(Wake me up)  
Wake me up inside  
(I can't wake up)  
Wake me up inside  
(Save me)  
call my name and save me from the dark  
(Wake me up)  
bid my blood to run  
(I can't wake up)  
before I come undone  
(Save me)  
save me from the nothing I've become **_

(Bring me to life)  
I've been living a lie, there's nothing inside  
(Bring me to life) /

**¨**

As soon as the gang properly realized what had happened, exclaims of relief and happiness erupted.

The long nightmare was finally over.

Or so they thought.

" So, grandson, you decided to make another wrong decision, did you not?" Voltaire's all-too-familiar, chilling voice stated.

Spinning around, they saw the man standing at the doorway with about ten of his armed men.

Kai growled and clenched his fists into tight balls, taking a stand before his friends. " Take another step, and I'll kill you with bare hands."

Voltaire plainly shook his head. " Such a stupid, arrogant boy." He looked at his men, then ordered them in Russian. " Lock up the others for now, I'll get back to them later. Leave my grandson and that Dara of his." His soulless eyes glanced at Kai. " We have some unfinished business that I intend to bring to closure."

**¨**

TBC.

**¨**

A/N: Oh man… I'll better hide somewhere, because you guys are seriously gonna kill me for that cliffie, aren't you?

Well, until next time! Hope I'll meet you all then! Until then… PLEEEEEEEZE review!

(Btw… If you wanna know which 'blade's glowing-color' I picked for each person, check out the memories Kai received. They're in the same order.)

(Btw 2… It was just heartbreaking to hear Kai say I'm sorry after all he's been through, wasn't it?)

(1) Just in case you've forgotten… Back in chapters 8 and 9, Kai was left (by Voltaire, of course) into the belief that all his friends had died in the fire of warehouse Voltaire lit in chapter 7. And he also thought Dranzer was destroyed in the same chaos.


	27. Punishment

A/N: Oh yes, I'm baaaaaaaaaack!

I know that you'd probably want to just get on with the story, but first things first… Thank you **SO MUCH** for those stunning reviews! I still can't believe you're actually sticking around after all this time!

(Btw, I really do seem to love torturing Kai, ne? Some Kai-fan, huh?) (grins)

Alright, alright, before you'll start throwing me with something, here's chapter 27! I hope it doesn't stink too badly…

* * *

CHAPTER 27: Punishment

" What the hell do you think you're doing!"

" Get your hands off me!"

" Let me go!"

Kai watched with rage, sadness and helplessness as his friends were dragged away by Voltaire's armed men. All of a sudden, his eyes squinted and he grit his teeth with sheer determination.

He was _not _going to watch Voltaire hurting his friends, not _ever_ again.

Faster than anyone could blink, he'd revealed his launcher, and was just about to use it when a chilling voice stopped him. " I suggest you to put that thing away now, grandson – unless you want her to pay the price."

Eyes squinting and a small growl escaping from his throat, he peered over his shoulder – and the growl became even louder as the sight greeted him. " You bastard…"

There, right behind him, stood Voltaire, a long, sharp knife placed onto Dara's throat. The girl gave a small yelp as the monster tightened his hold on her. The man's eyes became filled with this sinister, dark light that wasn't human. " I wouldn't recommend you to try any fancy moves. After all, the cost…" The man ran his finger down Dara's cheek, it was easy to see the girl shiver with disgust. " … might be a bit too great, wouldn't you say?"

At first Kai thought about knocking Voltaire down with his blade, but then realized that he'd never be fast enough. No matter how fast his reflexes were, Dara would be injured or worse before his blade would ever hit Voltaire. Giving a snarl of frustration, he slowly put away his blade and launcher. He wasn't going to jeopardise Dara's life.

Voltaire grinned, revealing his flawless teeth. " Good boy. Now follow me, or this lovely little girl is gone, understood?"

Powerless to stop what was happening, he followed when his grandfather (who still held Dara) walked up the long stairs, going to the second floor of the warehouse.

_What the heck is he planning on now_, Kai wondered with a frown.

" Now that Black Dranzer has been destroyed – along with my plan – there's no reason I should continue your pitiful existence anymore, grandson", Voltaire stated, glaring at him coldly.

Dara's widened eyes were filled with terror as she looked at Kai, realizing the meaning of Voltaire's harsh words. Kai forced himself to smile slightly.

_It's okay_, his eyes told the girl.

Neither of them truly believed it.

Once more, Kai could feel a flame wake up inside his chest, spreading into his entire body. No matter how little hope there was for him, he was still going to fight. For his friends, for Nadja, for Dara. He'd lost enough of friends and loved ones because of both that bastard and himself – whatever it would take, he'd make sure that not another innocent soul would have to suffer due to his mistakes. Right there and then, he would clean up the mess he'd caused.

And if this was to be his final battle… Then so be it. He wasn't afraid of dying, never had been.

His eyes were cold daggers as he glared at his grandfather. " Don't expect me to fall without a fight, asshole."

* * *

Trapped into the basement-floor, the rest of the gang tried desperately to think of a way to get out of the place.

Suddenly Alissa's eyes flashed as she remembered something. " Guys, there's still a chance", she whispered, so quietly that none of Voltaire's men heard her.

The others looked at her, confused. " What do you mean?" Tyson whispered back.

" An hour has passed." Alissa was forced to pause as one of the guards looked at her. " Mr. Dickinson said that he'd call the police in an hour, remember? They should be here any moment."

" I just hope that's fast enough", Nadja whispered, voice anxious. She shuttered, suddenly getting a very, very dark feeling into the pit of her stomach. " I don't know how much more of Voltaire's handling Kai and Dara can endure."

* * *

Not uttering a sound, Kai winced as his grandfather's fist met his cheek, causing him to hit the floor.

" Kai!" he heard Dara shriek as loudly as she could with the knife still on her throat.

That single desperate, terrified sound gave Kai the strength he needed to defy the cyber implants. Rage no written word could ever give justice to easily overpowered the implants.

Growling, Kai forced himself up once again, and using all the strength still left in him attacked his grandfather with a force that took the elder completely by surprise. The knife slipped from Dara's throat, falling to the floor with a clinking sound. Dara immediately slipped away from Voltaire and stood a small distance away, looking at Kai with fear in her eyes, not wanting to leave the boy behind.

" Go!" Kai hollered.

Dara shook her head vigorously. " I'm not leaving without you!"

Kai opened his mouth to go on, but before he could utter a word Voltaire's irony fist met Dara's face. Caught off guard despite all her training, she fell backwards and hit her head heavily against a floor. Kai heard an animalistic scream escape deep from his throat as he watched her lay horrifyingly still. " DARA! NO!" His eyes held fire of such rage that it shouldn't have came from a human-being as he glared at Voltaire, shivering with hatred and disgust. " You… bastard…"

" I don't know how the hell you managed to do defy the cyber implants. But I can tell you, that was the final mistake of yours, grandson", Voltaire's snarl interrupted him.

Fury wiping away all his senses and self-control, Kai attacked Voltaire. His punch sent the elder stumbling backwards. " Leave us alone!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, entire soul blazing with hatred. " Let me go!"

Unfortunately, the man recovered quickly. " Never!" Voltaire growled back, almost insane look in his soulless eyes. Kai barely had enough time to register that the man was up when a fist met his face again, this time even harder than before. He couldn't suppress a small whimper as he fell back and hit his head roughly against the wall. World was spinning in his eyes as he slid down onto the floor. He felt something moist and warm on the back of his head, and suspected strongly that it was blood.

Voltaire smirked coldly as the man looked at him. " You are so pathetic, grandson", the man told him, then picked up the knife and begun to approach him. " Well, I guess tonight we'll finally find out if the Phoenix really is immortal."

He growled. " Stay away, you piece of shit!"

Before Voltaire realized what was coming, Kai threw another one of his legs forward, tackling the man down. The knife Voltaire had been holding flew across the floor, out of their reach.

Voltaire's eyes flashed as the man looked at him. " You are going to pay dearly for that one, brat."

He snorted. " Oh, no more a grandson?"

A grunt was Voltaire's reply. Then, at the exactly same moment, their eyes detected the knife. Both knew that another one of them would soon be using it. And neither wanted to be the one in the receiving end.

Gathering all his might and pushing aside the spinning of his head, Kai stumbled to his all-fours (as standing up was no option in his condition), crawling towards the knife. He just reached his hand out to grab it, when Voltaire took a step pass him and slowly picked it up.

Smiling chillingly, Voltaire showed him the knife. " Was this what you were looking for?" The elder snorted. " How pathetic. Did you honestly think that you'd be able to use it against me?" For a while Kai thought about attempting an escape, but knew that he'd never make it. " But I shall give it to you anyhow."

Before Kai could move a muscle, Voltaire bent down with a speed that took him completely by surprise. With a perfect aim, the old man plunged the knife into Kai's side, as deep as it possibly sank. Kai didn't yelp or even whimper as the sudden attack of pain washed over him, just let out a small gasp that sounded almost surprised, eyes widening.

Snickering, Voltaire pulled off the knife, and this time he let out a loud scream of pain and sunk to his knees. " What's wrong? Does this hurt?"

Eyes still burning, he pressed his hand against the badly-bleeding stab-wound, glaring at his grandfather. " Rot in hell, Voltaire", he growled.

" Perhaps I will one day", Voltaire stated. " But you will be there waiting for me."

So saying, Voltaire pulled him roughly to his feet, only getting pleasure from his yelp of pain, and dragged him along. Kai's mind begun to blur due to the blood-loss and breathtaking pain, but he bravely defied the darkness.

Meanwhile, Dara gave an inaudible moan of pain as consciousness finally begun to rush back into her mind. Head still spinning, she slowly opened her eyes – and gave a loud gasp as she saw Voltaire holding bleeding Kai just by the stairs that led downstairs. " No…"

Causing even more anguish, Voltaire pulled Kai so close that their noses almost touched. " This is what a weakling like you deserves", Voltaire hissed into his ear. " _Spakojnaj notsi_, _vnuk_. Goodnight."

And before Kai realized what was happening, he flew through the air. It seemed to take forever before he finally hit the stairs hard, falling almost all the long way down. He cried out at the top of his lungs as his leg twisted and a sickening sound of bones breaking was heard. It was immediately clear that the leg was shattered. The pain all over his body was so great that it seemed there was nothing unbroken in him.

Steps slowly came down the stairs, and after a while Voltaire stood beside him, eyes burning dark fire he'd never seen before. " Time to finish the job."

" Leave him alone, asshole!"

Voltaire turned his head in surprise, but before he could actually register anything, something hit him hard. Giving a growl, he stumbled to the floor, almost falling unconscious. It took him a while to clear his head, but he was prepared anyway as the attacker tried to strike again. With a breathtakingly fast hand-movement, he graphed the metal-pipe Dara had swung him with and looked at the girl with squinting eyes. " You shall pay greatly for that one, bitch", he snarled through gritted teeth, tossing the metal-pipe aside. The girl's eyes widened as he once again held out his knife, approaching her. " I should've known a niece of Boris' would be nothing but a nuisance. Now… I'll finally get to do something that should've been done a long time ago." He was just about to plunge the knife right into Dara's chest, when a new voice stopped him.

" Hands up or we'll fire!"

* * *

Back in the basement, where the rest of the gang was imprisoned, the teenagers felt chills of worry run through them when they heard the shouts of pain and rage from upstairs. " What the hell's going on up there?" Tala hissed, indescribable frustration flashing in his eyes.

After making sure that Voltaire's guards wouldn't notice, Nadja soundlessly took out her blade and launcher, preparing it. " Perhaps we should go and find out."

Grinning, Alissa fished a huge set of keys from her pocket. " Getting out might be a lot easier with these."

Tyson's eyes widened considerably. " Are those… our cell-keys?"

Tala also blinked, stunned. " How the heck did you do that?"

Something weird flashed in Alissa's blue eyes, and she looked away. " Let's just say that I've received my training from the best." Everyone knew better than to pry more.

There was a fire they all recognised easily in Nadja's eyes as she looked at them. " It's us all against that punch of idiots. Are you with me or not?"

Slowly but surely, everyone nodded, eyes burning.

* * *

Ivor Releg, a fat, middle-aged guard of Voltaire's, definitely wasn't having the best day of his life. First of all, he'd been assigned to watch over a punch of brats, which was the most insignificant task he could possibly come up with. And secondly, he was having a huge migraine, which wasn't getting any better with another guard, Luca Tirujev, smoking non-stop right next to him.

_Where the hell are the others_, he mentally scolded, not noticing that he was talking out loud. _They were supposed to take a short walk, not to travel all the way to Russia._

" Stop that mumbling. It's annoying", Luca growled while taking a long exhale of his cigarette.

" I'm not mumbling", Ivor snarled back, glaring at the cigarette. " Besides, who are you to talk about annoying?"

Luca was just about to retort, when there was a voice from behind them. " Shouldn't you two imbeciles be keeping an eye on your prisoners? After all, they could escape if you're not careful."

Whirling around, they saw Alissa standing right behind them, eyes flashing. True enough, the cell-door next to her was wide open – and there was no one inside. " Oh fuck…", Ivor cursed.

Luca, on the other hand, pulled out his gun, aiming straight at Alissa's forehead, eyes as cold as steel. " Voltaire told us all of you wouldn't have to be spared", the man stated. " Such a shame to kill a pretty little pain in the ass like you, though."

" You aren't going to cut a single hair from her head, bastard!" The two men never had enough of time to see Ray, before the neko-jin's blade had connected with Luca's hand. Cursing loudly, the man dropped his gun, not noticing that after bouncing into a wall, the blade was flying straight towards his head. He fell unconscious before he knew what'd hit him.

Staring at the furious neko-jin, Ivor tried to speak, but all that came out of his throat was a wheeze. His attention was quickly pulled back to Alissa as the girl spoke. " Does it make you feel good to torture a punch of teenagers, huh?" Eyes squinting, she launched her blade. " Let's see how manly this'll make you feel."

Something close to satisfaction went through both Ray and Alissa as they watched the man fall down. " You have no idea of for how long I've wanted to do that", she stated.

Ray gave a small smile, but it quickly faded as he noticed that the fat man was holding a small, beeper-like thing in his hand. It was flashing red, and it only took him a second to realize why – the idiot had managed to call for help. " Shit…"

" C'mon, we've gotta warn the others", Alissa ordered him, tone fervent.

As they got out of the part that'd been used as a cell-section, they saw four more of Voltaire's men laying on the floor. " Six down, four to go", Alissa calculated.

Ray was just about to reply, when his cat's-senses suddenly detected something approaching him. But before he could even budge, something hit him like a sledgehammer from behind, and he crashed down to the floor, giving a small growl as a weight fell heavily on top of him. The growl turned into a gasp when he saw something – a bullet, he discovered – whistle right pass his ear, slamming into the nearby wall. " What the…?" Who the heck had saved him? He turned his head – and his eyes almost popped out his head with surprise. " Bryan?" His eyes became even larger when he saw a bleeding gash – most definitely made by the bullet – on the lavender-hared Russian's shoulder. " Crap…"

Bryan made a scowl. " Another word, Kon, and I'll shoot you myself." (1)

" That's very, very adorable. But not so enough to save your sorry asses." Looking up, they saw that a guard – who was very young, probably only a couple of years older than they – was still aiming at them with his gun. " Very well… Which one of you little pests should I start with?" The gun shifted between the two boys and Alissa, who was standing just a couple of steps from them, stopping to Ray. The neko-jin's eyes grew wide. " Say bye to your friends, punk."

" Don't you dare touch him, Valeri!" Alissa suddenly roared at the top of her lungs, and the boys could only watch with horror and astonishment as she attacked on the guard like a wild-beast.

The two struggled over the gun for a short while, when there was a sudden sound of gunshot. Freezing, the duo stared at each other with widened eyes, both shivering. " Lissa!" both Ray and Bryan screamed in utter terror.

Time seemed to stand still. Then, all of a sudden, the guard fell down – and they saw the bullet-hole in the back of his head.

They immediately realized that the bullet couldn't have came from the guard's gun. So who…?

" Are you three alright?" Looking up, they saw a policeman stood by the doorway, holding a recently fired gun.

It took a while before they could speak. " Y – yeah…", Ray finally wheezed.

Alissa blinked. " How did you knew to come here?"

" My men and Mr. Dickinson found the rest of your friends. They told us you three are still down here."

Alissa's face fell pale. " Are they okay?"

The officer nodded. " They made it with some small cuts and bruises. Apparently, they'd managed to take down one guard before a group of my men ran into them."

Bryan had a deep frown upon his face as he realized something. " There should be two more guards left. Where are they?"

" They ran into the woods", the policeman replied, voice ridiculously filled with authority. " It's only a matter of time before they'll be found. They won't get far."

Bryan's eyes flashed.

_I wouldn't be so sure about that…_

" What about Kai and Dara?" Ray demanded.

" I'll lead you to where we left the rest of your friends", the officer simply stated, voice stiff and stern. " Professionals are going to take care of your two friends now."

Ray's eyes flashed, clearly showing that he couldn't be ushered away that easily. " No way in hell!" he snarled. " I will never turn my back on Kai again!"

The policeman – who was well used to seeing hysterical, outraged people – couldn't be convinced quite that easily. " Do you want your friend to get killed because of you sticking your noses into our businesses?" Ray was struck speechless. " Then follow me."

The silent trio was led outside the building. On their way, they saw that there was a huge hustle of activity around the door of the main-hall. Because of the herd of policemen, it wasn't possible to see what was going on inside the room, but loud yells could be heard. It was next to impossible for the trio to walk right by, but they couldn't do a thing with the policeman watching over them like a hawk.

The others were waiting for them outside, talking to Mr. Dickinson. Despite the small injuries most of them had, everyone seemed okay: Tyson and Max were leaning against each other exhaustedly, all their differences momentarily pushed aside, Kenny was sitting nearby them, clutching to Dizzi for dear life. Also nearby, Tala – who seemed to be at the verge of tears – was tenderly holding Nadja, who'd buried her face into his chest.

" Where the heck are Kai and Dara? Are they okay?" Bryan demanded as soon as the policeman disappeared, probably deciding that Mr. D would manage to keep them out of the way.

Sheer desperation could be seen in Tala's eyes as the boy looked at him, shaking his head. " We have no idea", he whispered. " Those creeps won't tell us anything."

At that moment, Tyson decided that he couldn't take his helplessness anymore. Stormy eyes flaming, he looked at the others. " I don't know about you guys, but I won't just sit around here waiting anymore. This not knowing is driving me crazy!"

Mr. D seemed deeply strained when looking at the Japanese. " Tyson, I'm sorry, but you can't go there. You'd be in the way…"

" Mr. D." This time it was Nadja speaking, her eyes raging with fire as well. " We will go there, with or without you. So are you coming with us?"

Mr. D gave a deep sigh, then nodded slowly.

The exact moment they entered the building, Voltaire was dragged out of the main-hall by two policemen. He hissed venomous curses to them in Russian when walking pass them, but the group – that was frozen to the spot by pure shock – didn't even notice him. They could finally see the main-hall, and all their attention was locked to the silent, heartbreaking scene played by the stairs.

Nadja, who had fallen ghostly pale, was shivering violently as she pressed her hand against her chest, as though in pain. " Kai…"

" Oh my God…"

**

* * *

**

For Kai, everything was happening so fast that his blurry mind could barely register it. There was a lot of shouting, but in the end Voltaire Hiwatari was handcuffed. With him arrested and dragged away, one of the police-men rushed over to check up on him. The man gasped in shock when seeing his condition. " Oh gosh…." The man turned his head towards his colleagues. " Somebody call an ambulance, FAST!" The man then looked at him again. " Hang in there, okay? The help is coming."

" Kai!"

There were shouts of his friends, loud protests as the policemen herded them out of the building. It wasn't until then he noticed that there was also someone else beside him. The police-man lingering over him was replaced by Dara's face. The smile upon the girl's face was clearly a fake one – the tears trickling to her pale cheeks told him that.

" Dara…", he rasped, and tried to lift his hand to touch the girl, but lacked the strength.

" Sh…." Dara caressed his face, and he did his best to hide how much the simple gesture hurt. " It's okay. Everything's gonna work out."

Kai wished he could've believed her, but the pain… It was just too much… He was so very tired… " Please…", a thin, scarcely audible whisper escaped his lips. His eyes fluttered closed and open as his head begun to feel hazy. " Let… me… sleep…"

Dara's eyes widened with utter panic as she shook her head vehemently. " No, Kai, stay awake!" In a desperate attempt to make him stay with her, she gingerly lifted his upper body so that his head was leaning against her shoulder. A distant part of her brain tried to tell her that she was causing him more pain, that she could make his injuries even worse, but those thoughts refused to register into her terrified consciousness. She wasn't going to let Kai slip away like this! " Please, you have to stay awake! Keep your eyes open!"

Those words echoing in his ears, Kai felt that he was slowly drifting away. The excruciating pain he'd been in subsided, leaving his body numb and hollow. Little by little, he could feel all the echoes of life cease; heart was losing its beat, rush of blood grew slower, breaths became small and shallow.

He knew that he should've been terrified by the fact that life was leaving him, but suddenly all he could feel was overwhelming relief, like a huge strain had been taken off of him.

His head fell powerlessly against Dara's chest as his eyes slowly, slowly slid shut. " I'm so sorry…" _I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough…_ He could hear Dara's strong, panicked heart-beat as his own disappeared, and everything faded to white.

Meanwhile, Dara's attention had been ripped away from him as the medics finally decided to show up.

" Where's the patient?" one of the medics yelled from the front-door.

" Here!" Dara cried out, overwhelming relief clearly evident in her tone. Help was finally there. Everything would turn out okay. " You hear that, Kai? They're here. All will work out soon." A sickening feeling placed itself into her stomach as she heard no reply. " Kai?" Whipping her gaze towards him, she gasped as she noticed that his eyes were closed, his face – that held a small, almost content smile – sickeningly pale. It wasn't until then she realized just how huge the pool of blood below him was. Too huge, the logical part of her brain told her. " KAI!" She stared at his chest with widened eyes, trembling uncontrollably, and tried to see at least a slightest rise and fall, but couldn't be sure if there was any. " No, no, no…"

Suddenly gentle arms soon removed her from the badly injured boy, and she was pushed aside as the group of paramedics gathered around Kai, searching for signs of life.

Arms wrapped comfortingly around her at the same moment she begun to shudder with sobs, shock and panic rushing through her veins. " Sh… Don't cry." Mr. Dickinson's gentle voice was filled with grief. " It will be alright…"

Dara couldn't hear herself desperately calling out Kai's name as one of the medics shook her head. " I don't feel pulse."

Still not self noticing it, she kept frantically calling out for Kai as the medics begun their desperate attempts to save his life.

" 3… 2… 1… CLEAR!"

Time seemed to move unnaturally slowly as one of the medics listened for the echoes of life. He shook his head. " Nothing."

" NO!" Dara didn't know that it was she screaming, didn't even care. All that fit into her consciousness was Kai, the pool of blood below him growing.

_Come back…_

" 3… 2… 1… CLEAR!"

" Nothing."

_Please…_

" 3… 2… 1… CLEAR!"

**

* * *

**

TBC.

**

* * *

**

A/N: Eh… You guys are seriously gonna slaughter me now, aren't you? (turns around and runs away as fast as possible, desperately looking for a place to hide) Before throwing those knifes, remember that you won't see chapter 28 if you kill me now!

(Boy am I glad you don't know my home-country!)

Please, revieeeeeeeeeeeeeew!

(1) Once again, just in case you don't remember… Ray and Bryan aren't exactly best of buddies, though they made some sort of a… truce back in chapter 14.


	28. Wounds

A/N: Yes, oh yes, chapter 28 is here, people! I wasn't supposed to update until tomorrow, but 1) I noticed the site will be down for two hours tomorrow and – naturally – the exact hours during which I was supposed to update, and 2) I want to ease the torment I've caused you guys a teeny bit. (grins)

I know, you're probably ready to take drastic measures to make me get on with the story, but first… My **GOSH**! The last chapter truly hit you guys, huh? Thank you **SO MUCH** for those stunning reviews! I seriously can't believe you like my foolish lil' scrabble-up that much!

Okay, okay, put those knives and stones away! Now, everyone's got your tissue-packages ready, yeah? Good. Let's go. I hope this one doesn't suck too much…

* * *

CHAPTER 28: Wounds 

_Keep breathing_, Tyson kept telling himself, eyes squeezed tightly shut.

" Mr. Granger?"

_This is just a nightmare, a stupid dream. When you open your eyes, everything's gonna be alright. None of this ever happened._

" Tyson?"

Slowly, slowly, he inched his eyelids – and could barely suppress a whimper of disappointment. The weasel-faced policeman was still sitting on the opposite side of the table. " This is really happening, huh?" he whispered, voice filled with utter despair and defeat.

The policeman – officer Hanou – frowned. " Pardon?"

Giving a sigh, he shook his head and stared out the tiny window of the room, wrapping his arms around himself as his body was suddenly devoid of all heat. " Nothing."

Officer Hanou nodded with a suspicious look in his eyes, then went back to his notes. " So, just to clarify… When you and your friends took a look at the main-hall of the warehouse… What did you see?"

Horrible, sickening images flashed before Tyson's eyes, and he wrapped his arms even more tightly around himself. Tears trickled to his snow-white cheeks.

/ _Cursing and hissing Voltaire being dragged away._ /

" Voltaire… That bastard was arrested…"

/ _Blood._ /

" And Kai… He… he was laying there… Dara held him…" He took a choked, shuttering gasp. " He… he was bleeding so much…"

/ _Kai's ashen face._ /

He started to shiver violently, nausea creeping up his already sore throat. " He… he whispered something to her…"

/ _The medics desperately trying to revive Kai._ /

He started to shiver even harder, it was almost impossible to hold back a vomit. " He… His heart…" He couldn't fight back anymore.

Officer Hanou gave him a look of deep sympathy as he rapidly bounced up from his seat, dashing towards the door, praying that there'd be a toilet nearby. He never made it on time. A large hand rubbed his back gently as he heaved loudly. " I think you've put him through enough of strain already", Mr. Dickinson's strained, grief-filled voice stated sternly.

Officer Hanou nodded. " I believe this was all I needed to ask." He looked at Tyson, who was leaning against the wall with both hands, tears escaping through tightly closed eyelids. " You can go now."

Working his hardest not to cry himself, Mr. D gently placed his hand onto Tyson's quaking shoulder, blinking his red, puffy eyes. " Come on, Tyson. I'll take you to the toilet – you'll be feeling much better after that."

Giving a dull nod, Tyson let the elder escort him out of the room, not really caring where he was being taken.

* * *

After spending what seemed like a tireless age in the toilet, Tyson slowly emerged, and was almost grateful to notice that Mr. D had been forced to go somewhere. Not that he would've had something against the old man – he just needed a moment alone. 

But it seemed that privacy was a luxury he wasn't going to get. He frowned as his ears suddenly detected a small, scarcely audible sound. Curiosity yet again taking the best of him, he followed the noise – and blinked in surprise as the sight greeted him. " Nadja?"

The girl, whom he'd always considered harder than stone, was leaning against a wall, sunken to the cold floor as her legs didn't support her weight anymore, arms wrapped around her legs in a protective manner. She seemed to be trembling uncontrollably as she'd leaned her forehead against her knees, locks of reddish-black hair shadowing her face. " Go away, Tyson." It was probably supposed to be a growl, but came out as a tiny sob, sounding more like a desperate plea than anything else.

Despite the nausea still roaming in the pit of his stomach and pain squeezing his chest, Tyson couldn't help being struck stunned. Never had he expected to see Nadja break down like that.

Apparently, she was just a human-being after all.

After slight hesitation, he slowly walked up to her, taking a seat next to her. It took a moment before he found words to speak. " I suppose it's kinda pointless to ask if you're okay", he stated, then went through his pockets. After a long search, he finally found what he'd been looking for – a package of tissues – and silently offered it to the girl.

Half-surprised, half-grateful look in her eyes, Nadja hesitantly took the offering. The look upon her face showed deep discomfort – she wasn't used to showing emotions like this. " Thanks."

No more words were needed. Almost like working in some silent agreement, they both looked out the window to see the moon in the sky – soon, it would disappear, giving room for a new day. The long, hellish night would come to an end.

Tyson almost yelped in surprise when Nadja suddenly leaned her head against his shoulder, too exhausted to sit upright anymore. Tears meandered down her tense face.

Feeling like crying himself, Tyson wrapped an arm around her, signalling that he felt the same way, that he understood. Grateful, Nadja buried her face into his shoulder. And at that moment, Tyson felt something hot sneak to his own cheeks.

Neither knew for how long they'd been sitting there, when Tyson felt that if he wouldn't move and get something reasonable to do soon, he'd go crazy. Slowly, not wanting to startle the girl who'd finally begun to trust him, Tyson started to get up, at that point noticing just how weak his legs were. He almost fell back down, but managed to steady himself against a wall in a nick of time. " I'm going to the hospital to check up on the others", he reported, voice quivering a tiniest bit. " You wanna come?"

Nadja shook her head, not looking at him. " I… I think I'll stay here a little while", she murmured, voice unnaturally soft. " I don't want to see anyone just yet."

Tyson nodded, opening his mouth to say something, but then closed it again. Giving Nadja one more look, he slowly turned around and walked away.

As he got out the police-station, he paused just outside the building, realizing that he suddenly didn't have a slightest clue of what he'd been doing.

_Pathetic_, he declared to himself. Usually, he would've chuckled at how much like Kai the statement sounded. But at the moment, the very realization that it hadn't been Kai saying the word made it almost impossible to hold back tears.

All of a sudden, a familiar voice startled him. " Dude?" Turning his head, a lost, desolate look in his stormy eyes, he saw his grandpa standing some steps away. " I thought you could use a ride."

At first, he opened his mouth to tell the man off, still furious about the fact that he'd worked for Voltaire. But suddenly, all the rage died down, leaving nothing but breathtaking pain and sorrow. Breaking down completely, he walked up to his grandpa, and first time in years cried to the old man's chest.

* * *

" Bryan Kuznetsov, wasn't it?" 

Not taking his eyes off the window he'd been staring at for the past hour, Bryan nodded apathetically. " Yeah."

" I'm Dr. Jessica Yagama", a young, ebony-hared woman introduced herself, approaching him as if he'd been a dangerous, wild beast. " I'm going to take a look at your wound, okay?"

_I don't care if you remove the entire freaking arm_, he mentally snarled, but pushed his lips tightly together, managing to hold back the words.

He unwillingly winced as the woman roughly poked on the nasty wound the bullet had left onto his shoulder. It took a while before she spoke. " This will need some stitches, but you should be alright in no time. I think you're good to go as soon as I'm done."

His eyes, still staring at the window, turned dark. " That makes me the lucky one, right?"

Dr. Yagama, preparing her equipment, gave him a quick look. " Did you say something?"

Bryan plainly shook his head, suddenly too exhausted to form words. He barely registered as the doctor gave him an injection of something that made his arm numb, then started working on the stitches.

He blinked in surprise when suddenly realizing that she was done. " That should do it. Remember to keep the wound clean and dry, alright? The stitches should be good to be removed in a week or two."

Bryan gave an indifferent nod. " 'K." Slowly, debuting whether his legs would be co-operative, he shakily got up, pleased to discover that he'd be able to walk away on his own.

Dr. Yagama tried to tell him something, but his mind refused to register the words. The door of the room sliding shut behind him, he walked towards the nearby elevator.

Perhaps it was because he had to put all his concentration into staying up and keeping in mind where he was going, that his usually sharp instincts didn't manage to warn him on time. Out of nowhere it seemed, a huge mob of reporters suddenly gathered around him, forcing him to back away until he was leaning against the elevator-doors. His widened eyes claimed a look of sheer panic as all the people approached him, squeezing so close that he felt like he couldn't breathe.

Gods, he'd always been terrified of mobs…

" What happened in the warehouse today?"

" What do you want to say to Voltaire?"

" Are all your friends alright?"

" Is Kai alive?"

At that point, hearing Kai's name, Bryan felt all terror transform into utter, wild rage that completely clouded his mind. He gave a feral screech, and without properly noticing it blindly swung his fist forward, managing to hit one of the reporters, sending the rather tall man stumbling backwards. " Go away, go away!" he screamed, hysterical. " Leave us alone, you bastards!"

Just then, the elevator-door finally opened and he wobbled back some steps, staring with panicked, dazed eyes as the door slowly slid closed before him.

As soon as the reporters couldn't see him anymore, he felt all strength leaving his body. Legs going limp, he ungracefully slipped to the floor, leaning his back against the wall, and buried his face into his hands, desperately sucking in futile, wheezing breaths. Bringing his legs protectively against his chest, he begun to tremble uncontrollably.

The elevator went up and down the floors, but he didn't notice, paid no attention the people who entered and gave him sad looks, silently muttering "poor kid" to each other.

When Bryan finally came out of his hysterical frenzy, he blinked in surprise when realizing that there was something warm and moist on his cheeks. Gently brushing with his fingers, he made a surprising discovery. " Tears…"

He was crying. First time in ages, Bryan Kuznetsov was actually crying.

* * *

In a small room, more minutes drained away. Then hours. 

As soon as he'd heard of what'd happened to Bryan, Mr. Dickinson had arranged the gang a room with absolute privacy. Should any reporter try to catch a glimpse of them, there'd be a lawsuit.

Now, all the group inside could do was wait.

" What the hell is taking them for so long?" Tala, who'd been pacing around the room since he'd entered, growled, running a hand through his dishevelled red hair in frustration.

" Stop that pacing. It's not helping", Tyson, who was sitting on a bench, growled, playing with his fingers restlessly.

" Would you both SHUT UP!" Nadja, who was sitting on a bench as well with her face buried into her hands, snarled in a voice that would've silenced a whole army.

Ray didn't even hear his friends as he was stood before a window, his arms crossed over his chest, vacant stare locked to the raindrops falling heavily over the city that was slowly waking up to a new morning.

It had been for so long from when they'd first entered this small, sad room. He needed answers, they all did. They needed to know if…

" Why aren't they coming to tell us already?" he asked quietly from Alissa, who'd wrapped her arms gently around him, holding him close.

" I don't know", she whispered in a sad tone, kissing his shoulder. " Hang in there, okay? Just for a little while longer…"

A single tear that dried away soon fought its way out of his tear-reddened eye. What 'hanging in there' did he have? He wasn't the one who…

Leaning slightly more against Alissa's comforting warmth, he lifted the gaze of his grief-sticken eyes towards the sky, asking for only one thing…

_Please…_

Unable to sit still any longer, Bryan pushed himself up and headed towards the door, steps sharp from anxiousness and anger he desperately tried to keep bottled up inside. " I'm going to get some coffee from the cafeteria. Anyone want anything?"

He received a series of head-shakes as a reply, then exited, closing the door a lot more loudly than necessary.

Others barely noticed the small, shivering figure that was curled up against the wall on one seat, making herself as unnoticeable as possible, her gaze directed to her shoes.

Dara knew where she was only absently. Some distant part of her had registered when the doctor who'd checked up on her had told her that she should spent a night in a hospital: she most certainly had a concussion, and she was in a state of shock. A tiny part of her tried to message her that she should get cleaned up, change her clothes. Her long, purple hair was a mess, and her strained, pale face filled with signs of all the tears she'd cried and lack of sleep. Her clothes weren't any better, the shirt she was wearing caked with Kai's long ago dried blood.

She felt a wave of queasiness go through her as she saw the blood and agonizing memories flooded into her mind. Flinching, she tried to rub it off, but gave a faint, wounded sound when it stubbornly remained. " Damnit…"

She almost frightened as someone dared to approach her. Gradually, unwillingly, lifting her gaze, she met a pair of teary blue eyes. " Hey. How are you doing?" Max asked quietly, taking a seat next to her.

She looked at him, sapphire-eyes filled with desperation and unshed tears. " He's not dead."

Max nodded slowly. " No, he's not." The voice was soft and sad, like he hadn't believed in his words.

She looked at her shoes again, just barely managing to hold back her sobs. " Then why are they all acting that way?"

Max gave her a small, sad smile she couldn't see as she wasn't looking at him. " They're just going through a lot, we all are. They mean no harm."

She gave a small nod, tears no longer in her control. There was a short silence before she whispered. " This shouldn't be happening. This… This isn't fair."

Max nodded, looking at his hands. " I know", the usually cheery boy admitted sadly.

A silence fell upon them.

Everyone in the room startled when the door suddenly burst open and Kenny stormed in, seeming like there'd been a fire on his tails, followed closely by equally anxious Bryan. " The doctor's coming!" Kenny announced shrilly.

Not even noticing it, everyone jumped up, staring at the door with hopeful eyes.

After a time that seemed endless in walked a woman in her late twenties with her long, mahogany hair on a neat ponytail. She was Kai's doctor, Tira Hendez.

" How is he?" Tyson demanded before anyone else (including the doctor) got a chance to talk.

Dr. Hendez sighed, looking at them all apologetically with her greyish-blue eyes. " I'm sorry, but I'm only allowed to tell his guardian…"

" That would be me", Mr. Dickinson, who just entered the room, announced, then looked at the anxious teenagers. " And you can tell them everything you'd tell me – we are all practically Kai's family, and they've been waiting for a really long time."

After hesitating for a while, Dr. Hendez nodded. " As you probably already noticed, his injuries are severe. First of all, there are many old injuries that haven't healed properly, if at all: for example, his arm has been broken from two places. Luckily, it will most likely work properly after a surgery. And according to our specialists, his right eye might be permanently blind. Along with those… There was also something… rather bizarre." She frowned, not sure of how to set her words. " We found some… implants from him. I afraid it'll require yet another operation to get them out, if it's even possible."

Everyone gasped. " Oh God… Cyber implants…", Tala whispered, face falling pale for horrifying memories.

Dr. Hendez frowned again, but didn't waste time on questions. " We just performed him a major surgery, during which we operated the damage caused by the stab-wound, and his lung that'd been scratched by one of his broken ribs. Altogether four of his ribs are broken, almost shattered. There was also inner bleeding, which we fortunately managed to stop. Along with that, Kai has a major head-trauma. We can't tell if there's brain-damage before he wakes up." If he ever wakes up, everyone sullenly added in their minds.

" I… I don't understand…" Dara's weak, small voice gained their attention. There was a lost, almost scared look in the girl's eyes. " He… He talked to me… How could he have if… if his head is that badly injured?"

Sad look appeared into Dr. Hendez's eyes. " Head-injuries sometimes work like that", she explained softly. She then gulped loudly. " His brain had to be without oxygen for a long time when his heart stopped. I… I afraid that might've also caused even more damage." She trailed off, unsure if she should tell them the rest. Eventually she decided that they deserved to know – after all, he was their friend, and they'd been waiting for hours. She continued after a steadying sigh. " We're still not sure if there are other internal injuries we haven't been able to grasp onto just yet. His condition is still critical." But that still wasn't the most difficult part. Dr. Hendez wished the teenagers wouldn't have been present to hear the last piece of information – she wasn't sure if they'd be able to handle it. Giving a loud gulp, she braced herself, then spoke quietly, almost weakly. " And… there were also clear signs of… long-term sexual abuse."

Heavy, shocked silence lingered over the group for a long time as they worked their hardest to adjust to the news. This just wasn't possible…

Everyone knew that there was one thing that had to be asked. " What are his chances?" Bryan was the brave one to whisper the question.

Dr. Hendez shook her head sombrely. " I'm sorry, but it's much too early to tell anything. We're keeping him in ICU at the moment, and try to keep him from falling into a coma." She sighed. " There was a major blood-loss, and with the head-injury… Right now, all we can do is keep him under close observation and try to stabilize his state." She gave them a sympathetic look. " If he makes it through today, I dare to be a bit more optimistic."

That was quite a slap against their faces. Of course it'd been a foolish hope, but somehow they'd thought that Kai would be just fine and dandy. Kai was strong, invincible. He wasn't supposed to fall like this, like… a mortal man. Kai was just too tough to go down like this.

" Mr. Dickinson, there's something I need to ask you", Dr. Hendez suddenly said, breaking the silence that had engulfed them without them even noticing it.

Mr. D blinked his moist eyes as he looked at the woman, seeming very lost and confused all of a sudden. " Mmm?" He didn't have the strength to form proper words.

Dr. Hendez sighed. " I'm sorry to bring this on you now, but…" She paused for a while. " As you probably noticed, Kai's leg was severely damaged – so badly in fact, that we barely managed to save it. Now…" She gulped. " You need to understand that the leg will never work properly again, and there's a risk of infection…"

" Wait a minute", Nadja cut in, eyes filled with disbelief. " What are you talking about?"

Dr. Hendez looked at Mr. Dickinson. " I'm sorry, but… As Kai's guardian, it's your decision if we should amputate the leg or not."

Everyone gasped in shock. Letting anger, fatigue and frustration take the best of him, infuriated Tyson darted towards the poor woman, only Max and Tala's irony holds keeping him from attacking her. He spoke, or rather bellowed, through gritted teeth. " How dare you come and ask questions like that _now_! Don't you see that…!"

" Tyson, that's enough", Mr. D, who seemed to have recovered from his daze a little, admonished gently, then looked at the doctor. " I… I need to ask you not to amputate. Kai has gone through a lot lately, and losing a leg might be…" He blinked his eyes, seeming an inch from breaking down completely. " Please, do whatever you can… Please…"

Dr. Hendez nodded and smiled sympathetically. " Alright."

" Can we see him?" Dara whispered after a considerably long silence.

Dr. Hendez smiled apologetically. " I'm sorry, but I afraid I can't let you in before his condition has stabilized." She had a somewhat motherly look in her eyes as she looked at them. " You should all go and get some rest. There's nothing you can do around here, and we'll call you if anything happens."

Reluctantly, the group had to admit that she was right. They were dead-tired. Besides, Kai wouldn't appreciate them hanging around half-unconscious.

" Okay", Ray murmured his accord to the doctor's words. " Thank you."

And again, all they could do was wait – and hope that Kai was strong enough to defeat this one more battle.

As the teenagers left, Mr. D looked at the doctor, feeling immense nervousness flooding in his veins. " Dr. Hendez… Can I ask you a favour?"

The woman looked at him, seeming a bit surprised. " Of course. What is it?"

He gulped uneasily. " I would like you to make a DNA-test", he almost whispered. " I want to know if Kai is my grandson."

* * *

With the rest of Japan preparing for a new day, the small gang did the best they could to rest after a long, sleepless night, though it was pretty much impossible. Not knowing what would happen – if they'd end up losing Kai – was eating everyone up inside. Even the fact that Voltaire was now behind bars wasn't offering them much comfort: what good would that bastard finally getting his punishment do, if the price of that was the life of their friend's? 

Depressed silence was stone-thick in the BBA-headquarters where the Russians were still staying under Mr. Dickinson's care.

Since the gang had gotten into the building, Nadja had been behind locked doors in downstairs, practicing blading, as that was the only way she could find to keep herself from falling apart. At some point, Ray had showed up in tears, and since then he and Alissa had been in the girl's room. Bryan had stormed out as soon as they'd gotten into the building, and Mr. D had been inside his own office. It wasn't a secret that Dara had sneaked out and went back to the hospital – despite the fact that she could barely stand up for her fatigue, and had almost collapsed more than once. No one had really tried to stop her: they knew she wanted to be there, close to Kai, just in case…

Alissa's ice-blue eyes were almost glazed over as she sat on her bed, gently stroking the raven locks of Ray's, who'd finally fallen into a light sleep in her arms a couple of minutes back. Every inch of her body begged for rest, her eyelids desperately wanted to slide closed, but her straying, tangled thoughts wouldn't allow her such pleasure.

Yet another memory flashed before her eyes.

* * *

/ _She and Kai – both at the age of seven – were stood on the opposite sides of a small bey-dish build into the backyard of Kai and Nadja's house. Both kids' eyes were filled with intensity as they watched their blades spinning on the dish, taking rough contact. " Lumera, c'mon!" Alissa cheered her beast. " I know you can beat him!"_

_Kai snorted. " Yeah, right…" He looked at his blade. " Dranzer, end this!"_

_Eyes widening slowly, she watched helplessly as Kai's blade stormed towards hers, seeming like it'd be able to sweep away anything. " No…" She had… lost…_

_Kai's voice startled her out of her thoughts. The look upon his face was far from pleased as he watched her. It was almost like he'd read her mind. " Don't ever give me that look again", he ordered her._

_She blinked in surprise. " Huh?"_

_His eyes flashed. " No matter how low the odds are, don't ever stop believing there's a chance."_

_Alissa blinked again. " Why not?"_

_" Because the moment you give up on hope…" His blade pushed hers of the dish. " … is the moment all is lost. Understood?"_

_Taking a perfect catch of her blade, she rolled her eyes. " Yes, sir."_ /

* * *

Alissa woke up from the memories as Ray moved and stirred in her lap. " Lissa?" He frowned sleepily, seeming worried. " You okay?" 

Wiping away the tear that had slid to her cheek, she forced a small smile. " Yeah", she whispered, stroking Ray's cheek gently. " Go back to sleep, 'k? You need to get some rest."

Still anything but convinced, Ray reluctantly obeyed, much too tired to start out a fight. She watched as he slowly drifted back into fitful sleep, then looked away again, still stroking his silken locks.

Faith had been stolen from Alissa for years ago, the day her family had been ripped away from her. She had never even went to a church – Boris' little 'monastery' couldn't exactly be classified as one. But at that moment, watching the lazily rising sun, she prayed desperately, her small tears glimmering like diamonds.

* * *

Tala, on the other hand, didn't really know where he was or what he was doing as he sat on his bed. His wide, shocked eyes stared at his hands that rested in his lap. 

Kai might die. After all the fighting, hoping, praying and waiting, Kai might slip away from them.

It almost amused Tala. After suffering so many losses of people he cared about, he should've been numb to it. It shouldn't have hurt so damn badly anymore. But still, the rage, grief and utter helplessness bubbling in his veins almost suffocated him.

A silent tear slid to his cheek. " There's no such thing as justice, is there?" he whispered bitterly.

" Tala?"

The voice – though so small and almost frail – startled him. Wiping away the tear, he turned his gaze to see Dimitrei stood by the doorway. Damnit, he should've closed the door…

" Tala, what's wrong?" It came as a surprise to Tala that Dimitrei spoke in English. Ray's lessons were obviously paying off.

Such innocence in the child's eyes… Tala opened his mouth, but then closed it. How could he explain this to Dimitrei? What could he possibly say? " Dimi…" His voice faded.

" Is Kai going to be okay?" Dimitrei asked, voice filled with sheer fear.

At that point, Tala couldn't hold back the tears anymore. Seeing him break down, Dimitrei started to cry as well and ran to him. As Tala wrapped his arms around the crying child's small frame, he felt this strangest sensation of ease. Again he opened his mouth to speak, but no words would escape through his tight throat.

_Gosh, Dimi, I'm so sorry… I'm so sorry I couldn't keep him safe…_

He woke up from those thoughts when hearing Dimitrei almost whisper. " Kai… He can't … leave. He wouldn't, not… not without saying bye." The child sniffed. " I'm so scared, _brat_."

Tala's heart skipped a beat, and a tiny gasp escaped him. _Brother…_ Did Dimitrei know?

For a while, he thought about explaining everything to the child, telling why he hadn't told Dimitrei they were brothers. But eventually he decided against it: that night, they both had enough of stuff on their minds already. They'd have time to talk about the entire 'family-issue' later.

And therefore he simply held Dimitrei closer, burying his face into the child's hair. Auburn locks immediately became wet with hot tears.

* * *

With Tyson's grandpa taking all the Russians back into the BBA headquarters (secretly intending to watch over them and make sure they'd be at least somewhat okay), the remaining Bladebreakers stayed in his dojo. 

Kenny (who'd offered to sleep on a couch, as he wasn't really intending to get any sleep at all) was furiously working with Dizzi in living room. (For once the bit-beast was smart enough not to complain, as she realized how much Kenny needed her to be co-operative just then.)

He didn't know for how many times he'd made the same, completely stupid mistake, before he finally broke down and screamed as loudly as he possibly could, eyes glimmering with tears he was determined not to shed. " Fucking piece of junk!" Trembling furiously, he buried his face into his hands and sucked in deep, desperate breaths, with sheer willpower trying to regain his cool, to fight away the giant-sized lump from his throat.

He almost fell off the couch with surprise when there was suddenly a quiet, hesitant knock on the door. After some moments of consideration – wondering if it'd be one of those cursed reporters – he finally forced himself up and slowly sauntered to the door, opening it. He was so shocked over seeing who was behind it that he almost choked on his breath. " E – Emily…?" he wheezed.

The girl – who'd obviously been crying – offered a small, weak smile. " Hi", she whispered, slightly hesitantly. " I… I can only stay a couple of days, but…" She trailed off, deciding that actions spoke louder than words.

When Emily wrapped her arms around Kenny, holding him close, he was first too stunned to know how to react. But gradually, he returned the hug and – feeling all self-control leaving him – buried his face into her shoulder, entire body quaking.

* * *

Tears escaped Tyson's eyes without him even noticing it as he laid in his bed, staring at the ceiling above him, unable to see nothing but Kai's battered body. He could still hear Dr. Hendez's hopeless words in his ears. 

/ _" I'm sorry, but it's much too early to tell anything. If he makes it through today, I dare to be a bit more optimistic."_ /

Finally noticing his tears of pain and helplessness, Tyson furiously wiped them away, squinting his eyes a little. " Crap…"

He couldn't take it anymore: if he wouldn't be able to talk to someone, he'd lose the last bits of his sanity. And despite everything that'd happened, there was only one person who'd be able to offer him any consolation…

Making up his mind, he got up and walked up to the door, pulling it open – but froze to the spot when finding Max behind it. The boy – who seemed just as pained as he, eyes red and puffy, tears still rolling – had his other hand lifted for a knock.

Not saying a word, Tyson moved to side, allowing Max to enter, then soundlessly closed the door.

* * *

TBC.

* * *

A/N: Pheeeeeeeeew… Emotional little chapter, huh?

So, the dice has been thrown. Will Kai live – or will he die? You'll find out in next chapter!

(Gosh, I'm so cruel, aren't I?)

Until next time, folks, but 'till then… PLEAZE review!


	29. Svjet

A/N: Guess what? The new chapter is already here! I just thought I should update fast, because in a week or two, there might be a… situation when I won't be able to update for a while. But no worries: come what may, you won't have to wait for a new chapter for longer than two weeks – that is, if reviews keep coming… (Oh, I'm so not hinting!)

Okay, you're probably ready to rip me to pieces if I won't go on, but first… Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your astonishing reviews! It still baffles me that you actually bother sticking around for this long, much more to actually comment! (HUGS)

Alright, alright, here it comes! Now you'll finally find out if I chose to spare poor Kai's life or not – among other things. Hope you'll like!

* * *

CHAPTER 29: Svjet 

**Two weeks later.**

Sitting on a comfortable arm-chair, Dara looked at the woman across the huge desk. She had shoulder-length, chocolate-brown hair, and a pair of emerald-green eyes that seemed to see right into one's soul. She was Shelly Tshadov, a prosecutor in the case against Voltaire Hiwatari and Boris Balkov. " I understand that this is difficult for you, but please, try to tell everything you can remember. Only that way we can get Voltaire and Boris locked up."

She nodded, filled with certainty. " Okay."

Shelly smiled. " Okay." She looked at her list of questions. " So… Tell me about Mischa Petrova."

Tears immediately glimmered in Dara's eyes. " She… She was my big-sister. After my parents died in a car-accident, she took care of me since we had no one else but each other. She was also badly injured, but she recovered fast, determined to get me away from Boris' hands." She shivered. " Spanish social-services were supposed to take care of us, but… We couldn't trust them. They would've separated us, perhaps even surrendered us to Boris, as he was me and Mischa's only living relative."

Prosecutor Tshadov blinked in surprise. " Relative?" Looking at Dara's papers, she discovered that she'd changed her surname from Balkov to Petrova only about a week back. _Oh gosh… Poor kid…_

Dara nodded, eyes dark. " That asshole is our uncle, our mother's brother. Unfortunately, social-workers didn't have a clue of what he is really like." She ran a hand through her hair. " So we… we escaped the hospital and travelled from Spain to Russia, all alone… Once there, Mischa worked as a waitress – no one asked her age, didn't give a damn, as she was cheep labour. We lived in abandoned apartments, even tried to study a little, and she… she did everything she could to keep us out of Boris' sight." Sorrow transformed into pure rage. " But two years after our parents' death we ran out of luck… Boris… He got to us. Mischa's boss had sold her out."

* * *

/ _Sixteen-years-old Mischa had a look of utter fury in her green eyes as she held her crying, seven-years-old little-sister tightly in her arms. " You'll never have her!" she growled in Russian._

_With a venomous smirk upon his face, Boris took few steps closer. " And you actually think you can stop me?" Boris took out his gun, pointing it at Mischa. " Hand over your sister, and I won't have to squash you like I did your parents."_

_" You'll have her over my dead body!" Mischa snarled, holding terrified Dara even more tightly._

_Boris' eyes flashed, and he gave a cruel grin of a predator. " As you wish."_

_The chilling echo of the gunshot and Dara's scream could be heard in the walls of the house for a long time._ /

* * *

Dara had tears in her eyes, a couple of them spilled. " Boris has done so much bad, killed and hurt so many people…"

* * *

/ _From a backseat of a limousine, Dara watched helplessly as a burgundy-hared woman ran desperately with a baby in her arms, trying to get away from armed Boris following her._

_" Run…", Dara whispered without noticing it. " Run, escape… For the both of your sakes…"_

_But luck wasn't on the woman's side. Getting ice under her shoes, she tripled, falling roughly to the ground, protecting her baby the best as she could. Before she was even up, Boris had caught up with her. The woman watched the man with widened eyes, realizing that there was no way out._

_Boris' lips were moving as he raised his gun and aimed. A loud blast was heard as the gun went off and the woman slumped to the ground, a pool of blood growing underneath her. Giving her a grieving look, Boris took the horrified, crying baby and walked up to the car._

_Once inside, Boris handed the baby over to Dara. " He's Dimitrei. Take care of him, or I will personally make sure that you'll share his mother's fate. Understood?"_

_Dara looked at the baby, trembling. " Yes." At that moment, as she looked into his innocent eyes, one thing was clear: she wasn't going to let Boris corrupt this child – whatever it would take._ / (1)

* * *

" My mother was deaf, so I can read lips", Dara continued the story quietly. " That's why I know what Boris said to Dimitrei's mother before he killed her." 

" What did he say?" Tshadov asked gently.

Dara's eyes glimmered once again. " ' I love you.'"

Tshadov found herself shivering. Deciding that she couldn't pressure the burdened girl any further, she nodded and made some notes. " Alright. I believe this was enough for one today."

" There's one more thing." Dara's eyes were filled with hatred. " Do you have any notes of Ivan?"

Frowning, Tshadov flipped through her papers, then shook her head. " No, I afraid I don't. Who is he?"

" Was", Dara corrected, voice filled with grief. " He… He was one of the few people in the Abbey I could truly call a friend." Icy coldness filled her entire body. " Voltaire Hiwatari ordered Boris to kill him." It took for quite a while before the girl could carry on. " He was Ivan Hiwatari, Voltaire Hiwatari's son." (2)

* * *

After walking around for a long time to clear her head, Dara entered the hospital – just like every single day for the past two weeks. 

Though Kai was still unconscious, his condition was now stable enough to allow two visitors go in at a time. Every member of their gang had taken their turns, telling Kai that they were there for him and asking for him to hang on, as Kai's life was still hanging on a thin ledge. His injuries were healing torturously slowly, and it was still uncertain in what condition he'd be in once he'd wake up – if he ever would. And it also seemed that Dr. Hendez's fear had came true: there indeed seemed to be at least a slight infection in Kai's leg, which gave him a fever that made his healing even slower. The doctors had more than dozens of times tried to convince Mr. Dickinson to allow them to amputate but so far, the elder hadn't cracked under their pressuring.

The gang knew that Kai was strong, most likely the strongest person they'd ever met. But despite that, they couldn't help wondering how much he'd be able to endure.

Dara smiled to nurse Toamachi, who'd became familiar to her, as she got to the hallway Kai's room was in, then approached the room number 524. Just like she'd expected, the others were sitting nearby it. Ray and Nadja were most likely inside the room, as the two were absent.

" Hi", she greeted once close enough to be heard. " Anything new?"

" Still nothing", Tyson replied absentmindedly while flipping through a magazine. Though the boy never spoke it out loud, she could see from his midnight-blue eyes how much Kai's 'situation' (as they called it) was eating up the young Dragon.

" How'd it go?" Tala asked, referring to her meeting with prosecutor Tshadov.

She shivered. " As well as expected, I suppose." She took a seat, glancing towards the door of Kai's hospital-room, counting seconds.

" You'll get in soon enough, don't worry", Max's voice suddenly told her, filled with sympathy.

She gave the boy a quick smile. " I know. Thanks." The two of them had became good friends during the past couple of weeks. Something good about the nightmarish situation.

Drifting into her thoughts, Dara kept glancing at the door, hoping, praying.

* * *

Inside the room, Ray stood slightly further, watching as Nadja was whispering to her brother in Russian, her eyes glittering just slightly. 

He knew very well how much it took of Nadja to reveal her emotions like this before him, to show him such trust – after all, having been under Voltaire's hand for so long, it was just as hard for her to trust them as it'd been for Kai. But it seemed they had this mutual understanding, wordless acceptance. Nadja – having seen all the tapes and pictures Kai had left for the Bladebrekers – knew that he wouldn't betray her, and Ray – noticing how stunningly much like Kai Nadja was – treated her like a sister, just like Kai was like a brother to him. They respected one another.

Ray's attention shifted to Kai, and he couldn't help feeling his heart jolt painfully with sorrow and fear.

It wasn't that Kai would've looked awful. In fact, the young Phoenix seemed almost peaceful, and it was nearly impossible to believe that the boy wasn't just sleeping. But Kai was sickeningly pale, and pretty much his entire body was bruised. There was also this small, chilling wheezing sound when he breathed, caused by the damage Kai's broken ribs had done to his lung. However, none of those things was what scared Ray. It was the horrifying emotion in his chest. He'd had the same feeling before, some months earlier when he'd been forced to let Kai's hand slip from his in his home-village. (3) Again, watching the scarily slow and weak, still rather uneven rise and fall of Kai's chest, he couldn't help feeling that the boy was slipping away from them.

Ray sighed, so quietly that Nadja couldn't hear it. Kai had fought so hard, they all had. He wouldn't believe that the whoever was on charge of peoples' destinies would let it all end like this.

_I know we already got one miracle, and I'm almost afraid to ask for more, but…_, he thought, closing his suspiciously moist eyes. _Please, whoever there's listening… Give us one more miracle… Please…_

A memory of the events in the warehouse came to his mind.

* * *

/ _No one knew how much time had passed, or how many fruitless attempts to save Kai's life the medics had made. But, no matter how little they liked the idea, they all knew that too many minutes had slipped by. At some point, the ones herded out had came back inside, deciding that the medics couldn't keep them away from their friend. At the moment, they almost regretted the decision._

_Dull silence lingered heavily over the group, strained faces mirrored each other. Fear, disbelief, grief … No one dared to speak, it was almost like they'd feared that should any words be voiced, the almost stilled atmosphere would break and the medics would announce the inevitable, that there was no longer hope._

_All of a sudden a warm, almost hot wave flowed through the huge room. Gasps escaped when the group looked at Kai's blade that was once again glowing as Dranzer was trying to get out. Everyone – even the medics – stared in both fear and amazement as the magnificent phoenix rose to her wings, letting out a feral scream, eyes and wings burning like never before. " What the hell is this!" one of the medics yelped with widened eyes, beginning to back away from Kai's still form as flaming Dranzer flew to her Master. _

" _It's gonna toast that kid!" another medic yelled, trying to drive the phoenix away from Kai._

" _No, don't!" Tyson screamed. " Let her be, for your own good!"_

_But the warning came too late. Dranzer's eyes got a colour of furious flames as she saw the man approaching her, and before anyone could make another move she formed a shield of fire that covered both her and Kai, almost burning the medic. " What on Earth…?" Mr. Dickinson gasped, old face paling._

_After that everyone stood frozen and speechless, watching in awe and perhaps some fright as Dranzer bowed her head and rested it against Kai's forehead, closing her eyes. For several moments nothing happened. Then they all begun to hear the silent, extremely beautiful humming, almost like a song, that came from Dranzer's direction, and saw the tears that spilled to her feathery cheeks, falling to Kai's pale face. _

_It wasn't until then they understood._

_Dranzer… She was calling her Master back._

_It seemed to take forever before Dranzer opened her eyes and the enchanting humming faded away. For some time Dranzer looked at Kai, letting out a soft sound that was close to a chirp, desperate, demanding look in her auburn eyes. After that the wall of fire crumbled, and it took for just couple of seconds before Dranzer was back in her blade._

_After making sure that the bird wouldn't come back anymore, the medics rushed over to Kai. The one checking for his pulse gave a huge gasp. " I… I can't believe this! He's alive!"_ /

* * *

Suddenly Ray woke up from his memories, and both he and Nadja let out a small yelp of surprise as the constant, steady bleeping of Kai's heart-monitor all of a sudden quickened, sounding almost enraged. 

" What the heck…!" Nadja gasped, backing away from her brother in reflex.

At first, Ray stood paralysed, staring at his friend, fear squeezing his chest so tightly that it hurt. Kai's face remained unchanged, but Ray could tell that something was happening. The angry bleeping meant that something was wrong, he knew that.

And then, all of a sudden, his legs seemed to remember how to work again, and faster than he'd ever moved he dashed to the door, throwing it open. " Call Dr. Hendez! Something's happening!"

* * *

Unable to take the heavy, depressive silence hanging above the group anymore, Tala eventually decided to go and get a snack from a nearby machine. His thoughts were working with everything else than what he was doing as he dropped in some coins, then absentmindedly pushed a button. He didn't really care what he'd get – he wasn't that hungry anyway. 

All of a sudden, his mangled thoughts were swept away when he felt that he wasn't alone anymore. Peering over his shoulder, he saw hesitant-looking Tyson standing not too far away. His eyebrows immediately furrowed. " Granger?" His voice was much icier than he'd intended, but at the moment he couldn't have cared less. " What do you want?"

A look between nervousness, hurt and guilt could be seen upon the bluenette's face as the boy seemed to gulp, staring out the window to avoid eye-contact with him. " Look, Tala… I'm not too good at apologizing, so would you please not make it even harder?"

Tala arched a surprised, almost amused eyebrow. Was Tyson seriously apologizing to him? He suddenly bowed his head in shame. Truth to be told, Tyson wasn't the only one who should've been sorry. " I think we're pretty much even."

" No, we're not", Tyson murmured. Looking up in surprise, he discovered that the younger boy still wasn't looking at him. There was a long silence before Tyson went on. " You really care about Kai, don't you?"

Surprised, Tala blinked his eyes, then nodded. " Yeah." Simple truth, a single word that held more meaning than thousand.

Tyson nodded as well, finally looking at him. The boy's midnight-blue eyes were filled with something close to grief. " I'm sorry… for never even trying to understand."

Tala opened his mouth, attempting to respond, when a panic-filled scream of Ray's prevented him. " Call Dr. Hendez! Something's happening!"

* * *

A voice echoed inside blinding brightness. 

" Kai, can you hear me?"

Kai frowned in dissatisfaction. What was this voice? He just wanted to sleep…

" Kai, I want you to open your eyes."

He gave a small, protesting moan.

_I... I can't... Too heavy..._

Gradually, almost like in a slowed motion, Kai's eyelids twitched, unwilling to open up at first. Eventually they inched, just slightly, blinking furiously to get used to the bright light attacking them.

At first, Kai's hazy, disordered mind wouldn't recognize where he was. He could hear voices – those that came from people, but especially the irritating, alarmingly familiar beeping. His forehead again formed a small frown as he desperately tried to concentrate, to figure out where he was, and why there seemed to be this hellish pain all over his body.

" Kai?" the same female-voice asked, he felt a hand squeeze his. Slowly turning his head, he saw a doctor beside him. " Kai, you're in a hospital. Everything's alright."

Hospital…

Kai's eyes widened with realization, and a feral scream of utter panic escaped him. " NO!" he shrieked, forcefully pulling his hand off of the woman's hold.

" Kai, it's okay. I am not going to hurt you. Relax", the woman tried to soothe him.

Just then, a familiar voice spoke. " We're all here for you. Don't worry – Voltaire will never lay his hands on you again. Everything's alright."

The gang watched as Kai slowly turned his gaze to them. For a while he looked at them with a small frown upon his face, almost like not recognizing them. Then, suddenly, his eyes widened and he gave a gasp, a look of fear and immense humiliation in his eyes. He muttered something they couldn't make out as he quickly looked away, locks of black-dyed hair falling to shield his face. His breathing started to go hitched and his body quaked as panic took over.

Noticing the state he was in, Dr. Hendez tried to touch him, but he moved away. " Kai, don't you want them here? Would you like them to leave?" The boy didn't reply, wouldn't even react. " You are going into a shock. I need you to look at me and take deep breaths."

As Kai finally looked at the woman, her face suddenly changed – and he could see one of the Abbey's doctors right before him, the same who'd put the cyber-implants into him. He gave a strangled gasp, and although it hurt like hell due to the injuries he had, he backed away, as far as the bed allowed him to. " No, no, no… Please, go away… Leave me alone!"

Everyone else watched in slight frighten as Kai kept dodging Dr. Hendez's touches, huge burgundy eyes filled with panic unlike anything they'd ever seen before, entire body shivering uncontrollably. His heart-monitor was beeping furiously, much too fast to be normal. " Kai, I need you to calm down, alright?" the doctor told him, loudly and firmly. " If you don't, you are going to get yourself hurt." She almost managed to graph Kai's wrist, but the boy slapped her hand away with surprising force. She gave a sigh. " Kai, it's alright, you're safe now. No one's going to hurt you."

Unable to just stand back and watch, Dara stepped forward. Realizing that this girl would probably success much better with soothing Kai than she had, Dr. Hendez gladly gave the teen her place beside Kai's bed. Oblivious to the numerous pairs of eyes on her, Dara tried to touch Kai, but the boy moved away, eyes still filled with fear and pain. She bit her lip roughly to keep tears from coming. " Kai, it's me. Calm down, you're hurting yourself", she whispered in Russian. " You recognize me, right? I wouldn't hurt you. I could never harm you." She tried to touch him again, but he still wouldn't let her. A couple of desperate tears escaped her eyes. " Kai, please, look at me."

Kai's mind was spinning as he slowly, slowly lifted his gaze, staring at the girl sitting beside him with dazed eyes. He blinked, feeling very woozy all of a sudden. " D – Dara…?" This icy coldness then seemed to fill his entire body, and he started to shiver wildly. The breathtaking pain he was in made black spots dance on his vision as he pressed his legs – even the badly shuttered one – tightly against his chest and wrapped his arms around them, sobbing hysterically. He just wanted to disappear, to make himself invisible… He whispered in Russian. " Please, Dara… Take me away from here… Please… Don't let them hurt me… No more… Don't let him…" His voice disappeared as he buried his face into his knees.

Dara couldn't keep the tears from flowing. " Kai…" She reached out her hand, and shuttered as her fingers brushed his hand. _Gosh, he's burning up…_

The brush of fingers made Kai feel like he'd been burned up alive. Feeling terror flood through his veins, he wrapped even more tightly into himself, desperately trying to withdrew himself from the touch. " Don't touch me… Please…", he begged in a weak, almost pathetic voice. As he lifted his gaze, the vision of his seeing eyes once again changed – and Voltaire was there beside him, sneering at him. He gave a terrified gasp. " You will never get away from me, grandson."

Shivering even more violently, he wrapped his arms even more tightly around himself. His teary eyes were widened and almost glazed over as he stared at the monster before him, his breathing became hitched with panic. " Get away from me!" he screamed in Russian at the top of lungs.

Noticing that even Dara wasn't managing to calm Kai down, Dr. Hendez decided that she'd have to do something. If Kai wouldn't settle down soon, he'd go into a total shock, or end up making his injuries even worse. Few droplets of blood already stained his hospital-gown, indicating that some damage had been done. Carefully making sure that Kai wouldn't see what she was doing, she prepared a needle with strong sedatives, and begun approaching the horrified teenager from his blind side. Before Kai got even a chance to suspect something coming, the needle had found his arm. The boy fought furiously against the sedative, but eventually he was in at least some kind of a sleep.

Sighing, Mr. Hendez looked at the slightly startled group of teenagers. " I'm sorry you had to see that. Sometimes waking up is a huge shock for patients, and he also has the fever confusing him", she explained gently.

Blinking, Tyson looked at his sleeping friend. " Is… is he going to be okay?" he asked in a shaky voice.

" We'll see when he wakes up again and his head clears out a little. I think it would be a smart idea to have less people around him then." She gave them a slight smile. " But until then… You should all go and get some sleep. He won't wake up for few hours, and he really needs peace and quiet."

Reluctantly, the group-members nodded: they indeed needed some sleep, especially now that they could finally relax and catch their breaths. Voltaire and Boris were behind bars, Kai was safe and on his way to recovery. There was nothing to worry about anymore.

Little did they know how much recovering Kai would have to do…

The same moment the teenagers exited, in came a rather young nurse whose nametag stated Aina Toamachi. " Dr. Hendez, patient-Hiwatari's test-results just came", she stated as soon as the door was closed.

Dr. Hendez was immediately alerted. " And…?"

" All negative for STDs." (4)

Dr. Hendez felt tremendous relief flood through her. " Thank God… At least some good news." She then remembered something. " What about the drugs we found from his bloodstream?"

Nurse Toamachi shook her head apologetically. " There's no knowing yet. The lab is still processing on them. So far at least six different, unidentified drugs have been found."

Dr. Hendez shuttered. _Gosh, what have those freaks done to this kid! _" Thank you", she stated, signaling the nurse that she was allowed to go. " I'll still have to do some bandaging on him."

Left alone into the room, Dr. Hendez looked at Kai (who moaned and trashed around in restless sleep) and gave a deep sigh.

Truth to be told, she couldn't be sure if Kai's behavior was entirely because of the fever or shock over waking up. She'd seen his head-injury, and couldn't help wondering if there was some degree of brain-damage on top of everything else the poor kid had to bear. It was also possible that those drugs given to him messed his mind. Or perhaps it was all mental – after all, Kai had been help captive, used as a guinea-pig, abused, almost killed, and God only knows what more. It was more than likely that a torture like that would leave scars.

Giving another sigh, she carefully brushed a stray-lock away from Kai's forehead. Even in his sleep, the boy whimpered weakly and withdrew from the touch. And although Dr. Hendez had seen pretty much everything imaginable during her career, much more than she would've liked, that heartbreaking sight brought tears into her eyes. " You have so many people waiting for you to recover, Kai", she whispered to her young patient. " You have to fight this for them. You must."

* * *

Some hours later, Tyson – who'd been sleeping off the exhaustion caused by countless of sleepless nights – jolted awake as the sound of his cell-phone ringing filled the hotel-room he was currently sharing with Kenny. Blinking his eyes in confusion, he looked at his phone and frowned when he couldn't recognize the caller's number. " Hello?" he mumbled groggily, rubbing his face with his free hand to wake up a little. 

The voice he heard was probably the last one he'd expected. " _Tyson, this is extremely painful for me to say, and I need you to listen carefully, because I won't be able to repeat myself._"

He blinked again, this time in complete shock. " J – Jax?" The confusion turned into anger, almost pure rage. " What the hell…?"

" _Listen!_" Jax almost roared at him, voice filled with pain. " _I… I don't particularly like you – big surprise, huh? And… The last thing I want is to see someone as good, amazing and pure as Max suffering because of you. But… I've tried for months, and I just can't change the way he feels for you._" Tyson could've sworn he heard a sob. " _And… That's why I'm offering you a one last chance to make things right between you two._" This time, there was definitely a sob. " _Now that Kai's safe and recovering… Max is coming here, to America. And… He says it's only a weekend-trip, but… I know that if he'll come here, he'll never leave._" Jax needed a long moment to compose himself. " _His flight departs at six pm. And… If you'll be able to stop him, I'll just have to live with it. But if you won't… Then I'll know for sure you never deserved him._"

Tyson blinked his eyes in total confusion. It took for a while before he found his voice. " Thanks."

" _Don't thank me_", Jax replied harshly. " _I'm not doing this for of you._" With that, the older boy hung up.

After the phone-call ended, Tyson's first thought was that he should run as fast as he possibly could, find Max before it'd be too late: clock was approaching six with terrifying speed. But then… He simply froze, standing about three steps from the bed, eyes wide and tight throat hurting.

If he would keep Max from leaving now… would he ruin the boy's life? Gosh, both he and Max had changed tremendously during the past long months, grown up and learned so much… They'd have to learn to know each other all over again, and it would be a long, painful process. Besides, would they ever get back the connection they once had?

Max would be happy with Jax. Who was he to prevent that? Did he and Max even belong together?

He was startled as a soft, feminine voice suddenly spoke. " You should know… Max left five minutes ago." Slowly lifting his gaze, he saw Dara leaning to a doorframe. There was a look of deep pain, but also steely determination upon her face. " Tyson… No matter how much you doubt, how difficult it might seem… Please, don't give up on Max – I can see how much you two care about each other. If you let him slip away now, you'll never forgive yourself."

Any other day, Tyson would've scolded at the girl he still didn't trust, told her to get lost. But at that moment… He just couldn't. Instead a weak, wheezing question escaped him. " How can you be so sure?"

Dara's eyes were glimmering. " Because… I almost lost Kai. And… Trust me when I say this – you would never want to feel such pain." She gave a shuttering breath. " It almost ate my soul away. I won't watch you going through the same because of your damn stubbornness."

And at that moment, looking into her sapphire eyes that shone with nothing but pain and sincerity, Tyson finally understood that he'd been wrong about her. True enough, she'd once lied about a lot of things, but the look in her eyes just then told that she definitely wasn't selfish or heartless.

But he didn't have time to apologize or tell her about his newfound wisdom. Giving a slight smile, he darted towards the door. " Thanks."

Dara smirked, recovered from her rush of emotions. " Good luck."

* * *

It seemed to take forever before Tyson finally dashed through the airport's huge double-doors, desperately gazing around with widened, terrified eyes. Max was nowhere to be seen, and his chest suddenly became very tight and heavy. 

Had he been too late after all? Had he… Had he lost Max – for good?

But then, just as he'd almost fallen into despair, his eyes suddenly met a familiar mop of blonde hair, and a huge gasp of astonishment and relief escaped his lips. " Max!"

Max was just walking towards the gate that would lead to his flight, carrying a huge bag. Hearing his name, the boy paused for a while, looking around with surprised eyes. But the boy's gaze never met Tyson, and he continued walking.

Desperation and terror filling his body, Tyson begun to run like a madman, something close to utter terror in his eyes. " No, Max! Wait!"

And just then, Max saw him. Such a variety of mixed feelings appeared into the American's eyes that Tyson simply froze, about five steps from the boy, suddenly finding it hard to breathe.

Surprise, hurt, anger, wonder, possibly even desperate hope.

For several moments they stood absolutely still, staring at each other, speechless and immobilized. Tears gathered into Tyson's stormy eyes as he eventually whispered three words. " _Yurushite kudasai_… Please…" Not even noticing it, he reached out a hand.

Tyson knew full well how much he was asking of Max. With forgiving and staying, the boy would give up on pretty much perfect life, turn down the unconditional love Jax was offering him.

Max had every right to just walk away.

Time seemed to stand still as Max stared at his outstretched hand with pained, almost teary eyes, seeming deeply torn. Then, so suddenly that it frightened them both, Max dropped his bag and rushed over to Tyson, throwing both arms tightly, almost frantically, around the bluenette. Sobs shuttered the blonde's entire body as he buried his face into Tyson's chest.

In his hazy, disordered mind, Max could only wonder how he'd ever been a fool enough to think that he'd be able to just walk away like this.

Almost like reading his mind, Tyson gave a small smile through almost spilling tears of sheer relief and joy, gently stroking his hair. " Let's go home", the bluenette whispered in a croaky voice.

All Max could do was nod.

* * *

Alissa's ice-blue eyes were filled fury, annoyance, maybe even a hint of nervousness as she stood in a small park some hours later, taking a look at her watch. She gave a loud growl. 

_Late, as per usual. He never changes, it seems._

" So, Lissa… Long time no see", came a disturbingly familiar voice in Russian from behind her.

Squinting her eyes, she peered over her shoulder. Behind her stood a boy at her age with silvery eyes and short, unruly indigo hair. " What the hell are you doing in Japan?" she snarled.

" Valeri's funeral will be held here tomorrow", Mikhailov announced. " Don't ask me why, but I thought I should ask you to come along."

Her eyes darkened. " I cut all my ties to your stupid little gang for over a year ago."

" Yes, you did." Mikhailov's voice was low and unforgiving, almost like a growl. " We found you and saved your life, took care of you when you were half-dead. And how do you repay us? By ditching us like some garbage – twice!"

Alissa's eyes flashed. " Yes, because the things you forced me to do made me sick! I became everything I'd always despised because of you!"

Mikhailov snorted. " According to what I saw, you didn't seem to loathe us – or him, at least – all that much back then."

* * *

/ _With the rest of the gang fast asleep, Alissa and Valeri _(5)_ were laying on the boy's bed, attacking each other with passionate kisses, battling over control._

_Suddenly Valeri withdrew from Alissa, making her moan with dissatisfaction. " Allie… Do you trust me?"_

_Alissa blinked in surprise at first, then nodded, smiling. " Of course I do. What kind of a question was that?"_

" _Then…" He took out a set of strange equipment, one of which had a needle on it. " … will you finally become a official gang-member? Will you seal it?"_

_Alissa found herself shuttering. " Valeri, I… can't…"_

" _Please?" he interrupted, insistent look in his eyes. " For me?"_

_She found her resistance dying down. Slowly, she gave a small nod. " Alright. For you."_

_He smiled, eyes radiating utter happiness. " Thank you." Gently, he removed the shirt that'd been covering her shoulder, softly brushing her skin with his fingertips. " I wont hurt you, I promise."_

" _I know." She, too, smiled. " I trust you."_

_She didn't even wince when Valeri carefully tattooed a picture of black wings onto the pale skin of her shoulder. Once done, the boy looked at her, eyes filled with joy, and kissed her lips passionately, hungrily. " Congratulations, Allie. You are now a official member of The Sinners Of Eden." He kissed her again. " I love you."_

_She grinned. " Love you too."_

_From his bed, Mikhailov's watched the kissing couple with pain-filled eyes. Giving an inaudible growl, he sifted to side, taking his eyes off the excruciating sight._ /

* * *

" Perhaps I loved him once, but he destroyed all that a long time ago." She looked at Mikhailov, eyes flaming. " He worked for Voltaire, did you know that? He turned his back on us all." 

Mikhailov's silvery eyes filled with fury. " Why should I believe a traitor-bitch like you?"

Giving a loud hiss, Alissa punched the boy with all her strength, sending his head jerk sideways. " Call me that _ever_ again, and the next one fill hurt _much_ more. Got that?"

Mikhailov smirked. " Feisty little cat." He watched as she rapidly turned around and started to walk away. " You should know… You will never get rid of your past, _Allie_. There's no turning your back on all the things you've done." His eyes flashed. " Your 'friends' will discover all about you sooner or later – after all, they're not idiots. And that day they'll ditch you, just like you ditched us."

As Alissa's legs quickly carried her away, she squeezed her eyes tightly shut and grit her teeth, desperately trying to fight against bubbling emotions.

Was Mikhailov right? Would Ray and everyone else, even Tala, abandon her if they'd know?

She'd just got herself people she could call family, found a place where she belonged. She couldn't lose that all – not again.

* * *

That same evening, Mr. Dickinson blinked in surprise when his cell-phone suddenly rang. " Hello?" 

" _This is Dr. Hendez_", came a familiar voice. " _I called to inform that the test-results just came._"

Although he'd almost fallen asleep just a while ago, Mr. Dickinson was suddenly fully alert, eyes slightly widened. " Y – yes?"

" _The results were checked three times, and each time we came to same conclusion._" She held a small pause. " _Kai Hiwatari really is your grandson._"

* * *

Meanwhile in a airport not too far away, a driver named Grigori watched as his newest boss approached him, and couldn't help smirking with delight. 

_Not bad_, he declared to himself. _Not bad at all._

She was a girl in about the age of fourteen with shoulder-length, ginger hair and piercing, fierce auburn eyes. On her she had a short, black leather-jacket and blue jeans, plus a pair of bark-brown boots and a midnight-blue shirt. No denying it – she truly made blood boil in his veins. " Good evening and welcome to Russia, Miss Kovanen", he greeted in wobbling Finnish.

Giving the man her bag, the girl found herself smiling. _Funny. It's been for almost three years, and I'm still not used to that name._ " _Kiitos_." She continued in flawless Russian, taking the man by surprise. " You can just call me Taina." Enjoying of the man's stun, she walked pass him, noticing that it took for a long time before he'd gathered his wits enough to follow her. " Would you take me to a hotel, please? And tomorrow, there's a place I need to go to…"

" Sure, Miss."

Sitting into the man's limousine some moments later, she stared out the window, letting her thoughts whirr. Gosh, it'd been for such a long time from when she'd last been here! And now, she had something important she needed to do…

_Tomorrow, I'll finally be able to seal all those scars he gave me…_ Her eyes squinted. _Perhaps then, I will finally be free. Free to grasp onto my fate…_

* * *

TBC.

* * *

A/N: I… couldn't… kill him… yet, at least… (grins evilly) 

Uuuh… A lot of stuff in one chappy, huh? So many 'little' things revealed, but a lot still left… Will Kai ever be the same again? What all is Alissa hiding? And who is this new mystery-girl? So many secrets left unsolved – and only six chapters to go… (grins evilly – again) (I'm creeping you guys out, aren't I?)

I sincerely hope you don't hate the fact that Mr. D is Kai's (and Nadja's, too) real grandfather. I just thought that Kai deserves at least one relative (save Nadja, naturally) who doesn't want to use or harm him.

Okay, with those, 'hope I'll see you all next time! Bye guys, and please, please, **PLEASE** review! (gives huuuuuuuuge puppy-dog eyes)

(Btw… The chapter-title "Svjet" is Russian, and means "Light".)

(Btw 2… In case you were wondering what Tyson was apologising for… He and Tala had this rather nasty fight in chapter 19, and Tyson said some… harsh things. Tala, on the other hand, was thinking about his actions back when he was Biovolt's puppet.)

(1) Just in case you've forgotten… Dimitrei's mom Boris killed here… She was Tala and Alissa's mother, too. I think this came out in chapter 23. (As did the accident where Dara's parents died.)

(2) Remember Ivan? He was mentioned quite a many times during the earliest chapters. There was a longer description of his looks (and, unfortunately, death) in chapter 7.

(3) The scene mentioned can be found from chapter 22.

(4) STD sexually transmitted disease. Thought I should put this here for those whose first language isn't English. As one myself, I know perfectly how bitchy these shortages can be to remember.

(5) Oh yes, the same Valeri who Alissa attacked in chapter 27 when he tried to kill Ray.


	30. Tears of a monster

A/N: Weeeeeheee, I did it! Another chapter done! (Oh crap, not the hyper-attack again…)

First of all, I'm sorry 'bout harassing your e-mails when the alert-system was down, but I figured that at least those on this story's alert-list would like to know that there's another chappy done. At least so far no one's sued my ass for it… (grins)

And once again, thank you SO MUCH for those amazing reviews! I just can't believe that you honestly like this story that much, let alone get so moved by it! (HUUUUUUUGS) (Yeah, the hyper-attack is still kicking in… Niiiiiice…) (Btw… I'm far above glad if the story really is realistic – I'm desperately trying to pay special attention to make it just that!)

(You poor guys! I've really made you cry, haven't I? Thank God you don't know where I live so you won't be able to make me pay the 'tissue-money'…) (smirks)

(Oh, if I speak Russian? GOSH how I wish I did! I actually had the chance to study the language in school, but – being an idiot – I missed it. (sighs) BUT I'm proud to say that I do know SOME words and phrases in Russian, and I've got my loyal dictionary helping me with the rest. (grins) I think Russian is a beautiful language – and not least of all because it's a Kai-language…)

Alright, okay, I think that was just about it. Without anything further, here's chappy 30! 'Hope it's… readable! Oh yes, and there's a scene that might… surprise you…

* * *

CHAPTER 30: Tears of a monster 

Kai was unaware of the person sleeping next to his hospital bed as his mind drifted into another, dark place where no one was by his side. No matter how hard he tried to silence the voices that kept whispering to him in his sleep, they always came back, hammered his head until it was impossible to tell what was true and what wasn't .

' _You are useless now._'

/ _" We need you!"_ /

' _You're a murderer, a traitor. All you've ever brought on anyone is pain. Why would they want you back?_' 

/ _" We're a team, remember? None of us has to go through things like this alone."_ /

' _They don't care. To them, you are nothing but a useless, crippled piece of junk._'

/ _" I love you!"_ /

Over and over again the hands of Voltaire tormented him in his nightmares, for so long that there was nothing left of his dignity and strength. Burning tears ran down his cheeks as he sunk into endless pit of black. Faces of his friends flashed before his eyes, desperately pleading him to fight, to reach out for them. But he couldn't, he was just too tired. He didn't even want to face them, not when he was this tainted.

" I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…", he kept whispering, but there was no one left to listen, for he was already gone.

And then, cold, unforgiving darkness closed itself around him.

* * *

It was one week from Kai's waking up when Mr. Dickinson entered the depressing psychiatric ward of the hospital Kai was held in. A sigh escaped him as he looked around. 

_How could anyone recover in a place like this?_

According to what he knew, Kai wasn't recovering well at all. His physical injuries were somewhat healing, yes – though there'd be horrifying scars left all over his body, and his other leg and eye would never work properly again. But as for the rest… Since the day of his waking up, Kai hadn't eaten a thing or slept an eyeful without strong sedatives. He also wouldn't let anyone – even Dara – touch him. Whenever someone tried, he started to scream like a wounded animal, and even doctors had to sedate him before they could treat him or examine his condition. Those terrified, desperate screams wrenched everyone's hearts, as they were the pretty much only sounds he'd given since he'd woken up. And there was one thing that hurt even more. When they were around Kai, the boy was either horrified of them or didn't seem even aware of them, just stared into emptiness with hollow, soulless eyes. No one knew how much Kai remembered after all the mental and physical injuries he'd received – and it shattered their hearts to know that there was a possibility he didn't remember anything at all. And so, although the doctors and nurses furiously tried to fight for his life, the desperate gang couldn't do anything but watch the Kai they'd known fade away.

Despite the ache in his heart, Mr. Dickinson faked a smile when he saw Reza Carrington walking towards him. She was a psychiatrist who'd been helping the entire gang ever since this nightmare had started. He'd called her over to help Kai with his emotional injuries, but so far she had progressed nowhere as Kai refused to talk or even react to her presence.

" How has he been doing?" he asked as the woman was within earshot. No matter how many disappointments there'd been, a small part of him still refused to give up on hope that perhaps this was the day when things would finally take a turn for the better.

The look and sigh Reza gave him, however, cruelly dropped him back onto the ground. " Another rough night, I afraid", she answered gently, knowing how the reply would affect him.

Mr. D felt like he'd been slapped. Of course he'd known from the beginning that recovering would be hard, but… He missed the old Kai, they all did. They needed him to be alright so badly…

Ever since he'd first met Kai, the boy had held this special place in his heart. He'd grown to love Kai's sprit and passion, the affection he had always sensed in the boy, no matter how carefully Kai had hidden it from everyone else. They'd always had a bond of respect, trust and warmth between them: Kai had sensed that Mr. D was the pretty much only person in his life who actually cared about him and would never harm him, whereas Mr. D had felt Kai was the family he'd never been blessed with.

Besides… Things had now changed dramatically. With that DNA-test having confirmed that he was indeed Kai's grandfather, he had even greater reason to worry. If Kai would slip away from them, he wouldn't lose just a precious kid and marvellous blader. He would lose a grandson.

" I think I should go inside", he murmured, blinking his stinging eyes. " According to Alissa, Ray has been here pretty much all night, so…"

Reza nodded, smiling slightly. " Okay. Goodnight." With that she turned around and walked away.

He was just about to enter when he was almost startled by Dr. Hendez, who emerged the room, seeming deeply exhausted. Both relief and reluctance flashed in her weary eyes when she saw him. " Good, I just thought we should have a little talk."

" I was just going see Kai", he protested with a frown.

Dr. Hendez's eyes gave no room for objections. " This is important."

He nodded, a sudden hint of worry growing in him. " Alright."

They walked in silence for a while before she spoke. " As I've already told you, I am worried about Kai's physical recovery. His seeing eye still doesn't seem to be properly adjusted to light, which is only understandable: Voltaire probably kept him locked up into darkness for pretty much the entire time. But that should work out on its own over time. And we've also managed to get both his fever and that nasty infection he had under control. But as for the rest…." She sighed heavily. " We still don't know what all those injections Voltaire ordered for Kai consisted of, nor what they've done to his body and mind. All we know is that Kai's been given a worryingly great amount of drugs no proper doctor has studied, and it's impossible to learn all their affects. And I'm also worried about his leg. Now would be a perfect time to start physical therapy, but I afraid he's not strong enough for it."

Mr. Dickinson shivered. " Y – yes… I guess it's impossible when he won't even…" He trailed off.

" I didn't mean just the psychological side." There was a sad look in Dr. Hendez 's eyes. " As you know, Kai hasn't eaten a thing since he woke up. That and the alarming lack of sleep are really wearing him out." She shook her head. " My greatest concern, however, is his mental health." She hesitated. " Stanley… I… I'm not sure if a… regular hospital is the right place for him anymore."

He frowned, unnerving feeling settling into the pit of his stomach. " What are you talking about?"

" He… He just doesn't seem to recover here. I don't know if the doctors in here have enough of skill and experience to treat him." She took a deep, hesitating sigh before continuing. " I… I couldn't bring myself into telling his friends, but… Two nights ago, when he woke up without no one watching over him…"

* * *

/ _When Dr. Hendez entered Kai's hospital room, she got a shock of her life. Without even noticing she gave a loud gasp, dropping the papers and equipment she'd been carrying. " Oh my God…"_

_On the floor, leaning against a wall, sat Kai – how he'd made it out of his bed with the damaged leg was anybody's guess. He was shivering violently, desperately trying to make himself as small and invisible as possible, and tears ran freely down his horrifyingly pale cheeks. Scattered all around him were pieces of the mirror that'd been hanging on the wall, the blood on Kai's knuckles indicated that his blow had smashed it. The razor-sharp pieces of glass had cut nasty, badly bleeding wounds all over Kai's body. There was also one bigger, bloodied piece of glass squeezed tightly into his trembling hand, with which he'd made long, chillingly deep lacerations into his wrists._

_Overcoming her state of shock, Dr. Hendez quickly gathered her wits and rushed over to him, beginning to bandage his wounds as fast as possible. The boy flinched to her touch and tried to recoil, but lacked the strength. " Oh dear child… Why did you do this?"_

_To her shock, he whispered a reply that truly startled her. " Because I destroy everything I touch". _/

* * *

Mr. Dickinson fell ghostly pale and his eyes widened, for a moment it seemed he'd forgotten how to breathe. When he finally sucked in a breath of air, a painful wheeze was heard. His mouth opened, but could only form powerless, soundless words. 

Noticing that he wasn't in a state to speak, Dr. Hendez decided to carry on. " He hasn't said another word since, and he won't respond to anyone." She gulped heavily. " We… We had to put him under suicide watch. And… We might have to transport him into mental institution, for his own good."

It was silent for a long moment as Mr. D tried his best to process all he'd just heard. When he finally spoke, his voice was thin and small, like one of child's. " But… You… you can't lock him there… You… You said he needs… familiar and comforting things… to recover…"

There was a tremendous amount of sadness in the woman's eyes. " I wish we wouldn't have to, but… If there won't be a miracle, I afraid we don't have a choice."

* * *

After composing himself for several minutes, Mr. Dickinson quietly entered Kai's room. He took a quick glance at Ray, who'd fallen asleep beside Kai's bed, then moved his gaze to the boy resting in the bed. Sadness immediately squeezed his heart. 

Of course he hadn't been expecting Kai to be suddenly fully recovered, but… Gosh, he didn't remember anyone would've seemed more fragile in his eyes than the painfully slender Russian at that moment, face strained and pained for the emotional and physical pain he still felt, even in deep sleep. What made the impression even stronger was the black-dyed hair and tattooed cheeks that made Kai's already pale face seem snow-white.

But Kai was going to be okay, he tried to convinced himself. He was… broken at the moment, but was going to be just fine after the wounds – internal and external – would heal.

Unfortunately, he couldn't quite believe himself, and the grief in his heart grew even worse.

Fighting away the threatening tears, he gently laid his hand onto Ray's shoulder, waking the boy up. Blinking tiredly and seeming confused, Ray first took a look at Kai, obviously making sure that the boy was alright, then gaped at him. " Hey", the neko-jin murmured, sounding worn out.

He forced a small smile. " For how long have you been here?"

Ray shrugged, rubbing his eyes with both hands. " I… don't know." A stifled yawn escaped before the boy could suppress it. " When I came, I told Dara to go and get some sleep… She's been awake pretty much all day long since…" The boy trailed off.

Mr. D gave a small nod of understanding, then looked at Kai and winced inwardly when seeing the fresh needle-marks on the boy's arm. " I suppose there was another nightmare", he stated softly.

Ray nodded and gave Kai a sad look. " A bad one. They had to sedate him." And as they both knew, it wasn't the first time: ever since he'd woken up, Kai'd had these horrible nightmares pretty much every night, and it was taking its toll. It was rare that Kai could sleep for longer than few hours even with sedatives.

" Do you think it's safe to keep him this doped up?" Ray suddenly asked, golden eyes filled with worry, voice tight and anxious. " I mean… When he woke up for a while, he barely recognised me, and… He… he started screaming when I tried to calm him down…" His voice faded out, it wasn't hard to sense the almost spilling tears.

Smiling softly, Mr. D placed a comforting hand onto the exhausted boy's shoulder. " I'm sure Dr. Hendez knows what she's doing, Ray. Don't worry." Fatherly look appeared to his eyes as he looked at the barely awake boy before him. " You should go and get some rest."

Smiling slightly, Ray shook his head. " Alissa also keeps telling me that, but I can't. Not yet." _Not as long as Kai needs me._

Mr. D nodded, understanding. When Ray had been hospitalized after he and Bryan's battle, Kai hadn't budged from the neko-jin's side for even a second until the doctor had said that Ray was good to go – even though he'd almost collapsed of fatigue. Now, Ray was returning the favour.

Mr. D was almost startled when Ray's voice all of a sudden spoke. " Is… Is he ever going to be the same again?"

Mr. D had to fight hard to swallow away the huge lump that suddenly formed into his throat. When he finally spoke, his voice sounded weird even in his own ears. " Well… Dr. Hendez said that it'll take a while before his eyes get used to the light. And his leg… It'll never work properly again, but with physical therapy…"

" You know that's not what I meant", Ray cut in, and looked at him directly into eyes, making it impossible not to tell the truth.

He gave a heavy sigh, not sure of how to set his words. " I… I really hope so", he finally whispered. He then shook his head, knowing that he was avoiding the real reply. Sadness in his eyes, he looked at the sleeping boy whose young face were filled with tremendous pain. " I have no idea."

* * *

First pale rays of morning lit up the shady hallways as prosecutor Shelly Tshadov walked on, reading the papers she was holding. 

During her career, she'd faced offenders whose crimes went beyond anyone's worst nightmares: wife beaters, rapists, child-molesters, murderers… But the things she read on her papers now were something she could've never prepared herself for. The more she read, the more violent her shivering became. Nausea grew inside of her by each word. " How can anyone do this?" she whispered to herself, eyes flashing.

" Are you alright, Miss Tshadov?" one of the guards that were escorting her inquired.

Taking a deep breath, she nodded. " Yeah."

Just then they were by a heavy door that needed several keys and access-code to open. As the guards worked on the door, the one who'd just talked to her turned to look at her, obviously evaluating. " Are you sure that you're up to this, Miss Tshadov?"

Her eyes flamed. " More than you could ever imagine."

Nodding, the man continued. " Now, there are some rules", he explained. " First of all – this should be clear – whatever happens, don't cross the safety-line. And – this is also obvious – don't take anything he might offer you, whether it's papers or even a tissue. But most of all – you must remember this – whatever he does, don't show him fear. Because if he notices that he's got the best of you…"

" I think I can do my job", Shelly interrupted, deeply annoyed.

By then the door was open, and, after steeling herself for a couple of moments, Shelly entered. The huge room was completely white, so bright that it stung her eyes. The only thing breaking the colour was the thick, black safety-line on the floor, small distance away from the (transparent) wall that separated her from the man sitting on the other side. She refused to look at the man as she sat onto the chair that'd been placed for her. " Good morning, Miss Tshadov", a soft, accented voice greeted her. " It is pretty hard to talk to you if you won't even look at me." Lifting her gaze, she met a pair of soulless eyes that made cold shivers run down her spine. " Much better. Your mother surely taught you that it is polite to look one in the eyes when talking to him, no?"

" Mr. Hiwatari", she cut in, looking at him with eyes that shoved no fear. " Tell me about the Abbey".

Voltaire's eyes flashed. " That place was a magnificent creation, Miss. Tshadov", he said in a silky, smooth tone. " With Boris Balkov I arranged beyblade summer-camps for children at the age from five to seven. We observed them – skills, physical strength, intelligence. The best ones – those who had an IQ over 150 and the best physical condition – were chosen and later… brought to the Abbey." He paused for a while, allowing her to make some notes. " They were trained hard to separate those who would be useful for our institution from those who could be… pushed aside." His eyes seemed to gleam. " The competition was hard, because those who were best were rightfully rewarded. Toughest fighters got to eat better, and deserved beds instead of a floor to sleep on. And if they failed in thrills or lost in their matches… Well, every misbehaving child should be punished, wouldn't you say?" He leaned forward slightly, and Shelly was more grateful than ever that there was a glass separating them. " And with the training and discipline, Miss. Tshadov, they became the best bladers ever existed. Fast, strong, ruthless. Perfect warriors." His eyes seemed to bore into her soul, and it was hard to restrain a gasp. " You can call me a monster if that's how you see me, but you can't deny what I've accomplished: I produced a breed of soldiers stronger than in any military."

After making notes she went on, although the nausea in the pit of her stomach made it almost impossible to talk. " Along with charges of several rapes and abuse – both mental and physical – you are also charged with arranging and executing murders of altogether eighty-three people. Do you object?"

Voltaire's eyes showed no feelings. " Why should I?"

Carefully hiding her emotions, Shelly nodded and made notes. It was silent until Voltaire spoke again. " Would you like to know why I did it?"

Looking into his eyes, she knew the answer. " Because power is the only thing you've ever cared about. Because to you, people are only objects that either stand on your way or help you achieve your goals."

Voltaire smiled coldly, showing a perfect row of sharp, white teeth. " Good girl. You obviously paid attention during your training. Very good indeed."

Making notes, she absently noted that she felt like she'd been in some horror-movie, and would've chuckled at the thought without the repulsion in the pit of her stomach – and the soulless eyes taking in every move she made, every breath she took. " Why did you kill them?" she suddenly asked, words dropping out before she could stop herself, and looked at Voltaire with unforgiving, hating eyes, not caring if the monster saw her emotions. " Most of them were just kids, one of them your own son. Why did you do it?"

" Yes… It indeed was a waste… All the hard training, all the work…" She saw her reflection in his eyes as he looked at her. " But they were weak. I had no further use for them."

She couldn't disguise her disbelief. She didn't know exactly what she'd been expecting to hear, but those indifferent words, said so clearly and with no emotion… " You killed them… because they weren't perfect?"

" Yes." The reply, said so simply, without caring, made her feel cold all over.

It took for a long time before she found her voice to speak again, and when she finally did, the voice didn't sound like hers. " The trial begins in two months", she announced, ignoring Voltaire's eyes that studied her, measured her as she got up, careful with not moving too fast or slow.

Voltaire showed his teeth again, his eyes going through her from head to toe, suddenly making her feel filthy. " I can hardly wait, Shelly." She was almost out of the door when he continued. " Oh, and please do wear that perfume then. It really suits you."

As soon as Shelly saw the bathroom nearby, she rushed in and heaved.

* * *

Little over a week later, Dara quietly slipped into Kai's hospital room. She knew that it was way past visiting-hours, but what she had to say was much too important to wait any longer. 

What she found when entering made her heart wrench. Kai was sitting on his bed, visibly quivering, the gaze of his glazed eyes on the window. It was obvious that he'd had yet another nightmare. Sighing inwardly, she begun to approach the boy. " For how long have you been awake?" she asked quietly while sitting to his bedside, though she already knew that there wouldn't be an answer. No matter how hard they all (and especially Tyson) had tried to trick Kai into talking, the boy hadn't said a single word to them since the day of he'd woken up.

Deciding that there was no other option, she took out something from her pocket and placed it to Kai's lap, carefully avoiding touching him. " She misses you, Kai. We all do. And… We can't, we won't, just give up on you." She sighed, brushing the thing – Kai's beyblade – with her fingers. " Look… I know this has probably been a hell to you, and it's hard to know which ones of the images in your head are real, but… Perhaps she can help you."

Kai let out a startled gasp when the darkness his mind had been filled with suddenly shifted, and instead of black there was a colour of fire. All his fear, however, disappeared when a familiar voice spoke inside his head. ' _Master… I need you to trust me, now more than ever_'.

' _Dranzer…_' He blinked. ' _Of course I trust you_'.

' _I wish there was another way to guide you away from that darkness, but… You must see all these things again to know that they're not your fault, to know that there's nothing you could've done to change them_'. She paused. ' _I… I wish I wouldn't have to hurt you, but… This is the only way_'.

Dara watched with admiration and some fear as Kai closed his eyes and squeezed his hand tightly around the blade, immediately becoming surrounded by flames. Anyone else would've been burned by Dranzer's fire, but in Dara's eyes it seemed that Kai only grew stronger – despite the tears of immense pain (caused by memories) that flowed over his cheeks.

She had no idea of how much time had passed – minutes, hours – when the fire finally ceased and Kai opened his eyes, which were burning just as brightly as Dranzer. Looking at her, Kai blinked in confusion, seeming like he'd woken up from a long dream. He didn't say a thing, but his eyes were so filled with recognition and emotions that no words were needed.

That was all invitation Dara needed. Carefully at first, not sure of how he'd react to her touch, she gently caressed Kai's hand. When all he did was shivering a bit, she leaned forward and cautiously kissed his soft lips. As Kai kissed back with at least the same intensity, emotions begun to run high and the kisses deepened. Dara gave a soft moan of pleasure when Kai's hands seemed to know exactly what to do to her, what she wanted. His hungry lips searched through her body, making many more moans escape from her.

Suddenly both tensed when her hand met something forbidden, and they looked at each other with questioning eyes. They'd both been harmed for so many times: doing what they were about to would be the ultimate sign of trust. " Are you sure?" Dara whispered, softly caressing Kai's scarred arm.

Not finding his voice, Kai simply nodded, working his hardest to relax as Dara's familiar hands caressed him. But despite all resistance, no matter how hard he kept telling himself that Dara wouldn't hurt him, he still begun to tremble when he felt her touch what only Voltaire had seen before. He squeezed his eyes tightly shut, a shivering gasp of fear and excitement escaped when he felt something that wasn't familiar to him. Something in him that'd never tensed before was hardening.

_What the heck is this!_

He tried to keep it inside, but a small, almost pathetic whimper of pain escaped him as Dara's hand met something Voltaire had damaged. " Kai?" Her hands withdrew from him, he could feel her light, gentle touch on his cheek. " Kai, look at me."

Somewhat unwillingly, he inched his eyelids, and was surprised to discover that his vision was blurry. Had he been crying?

Despite all Voltaire had done to her, Dara's entire body screamed for her to carry on, she felt this strange… pulsation in the most hidden parts of her body. But she knew that no matter how badly Voltaire had broken her, it was nothing compared to what the monster had done to Kai. Voltaire had never desired her – she'd only been one piece in his collection. But he'd yearned, perhaps even desperately needed Kai, the untamed fire inside the boy. She couldn't even imagine what that freak had done to Kai during all those months the boy had been in his hands.

No matter how much she wanted this, she couldn't go any further before Kai'd be ready. Otherwise she'd be just as bad as Voltaire. " Kai", she whispered in a stern, yet tender voice. " You do realize that we don't have to do this now, right? I don't want you to do anything you're not ready for. I can wait."

As Kai looked into Dara's sapphire eyes, he felt his entire body pulsating, almost throbbing, begging. He was still trembling, but it wasn't because of fear anymore.

He wanted this, he _needed_ this – he had to prove to himself that Voltaire no longer had a hold of him. And… Gosh, Dara's intoxicating scent of fresh oranges was overwhelming him… " I'm sure", he whispered in a choked voice.

Dara frowned, still not fully convinced. " Are you absolutely certain?"

Something in his eyes she'd never seen in them before, Kai nodded. " I trust you", he whispered in a croaky voice, making pleasant warmth flood through her.

No more words were needed. In the shadowy room, two scarred teenagers that had gone through a nightmare tried to fix each other, felt overpowering, healing strength lingering between them. Not all wounds could ever be healed, but that night, both of them managed to make each other at least a little bit more whole.

Unnoticed by both of them, the room became filled with purple and red light as their blades begun to glow brightly, triumphantly, celebrating the new bond, novel seed.

Much later a nurse opened the door of the room, and couldn't help smiling as she saw the two naked lovers who slept in each other's tight embrace. Deciding that Kai probably had everything he needed at the moment, she soundlessly closed the door and walked away.

* * *

Meanwhile, another person approached the heavy door of Voltaire's cell. She was a girl in her teens, with shoulder-length ginger hair and determined look in her piercing auburn eyes. 

" Miss Kovanen, are you sure about this?" one of the guards escorting her asked, seeming slightly worried.

She nodded furiously. " Yes." Her eyes squinted. " I will never get my life back without facing the reason I lost it."

After several minutes she entered the strikingly-white room, and walked quietly towards the safety-line, eyes on the man who was sitting on a bed in his cell, reading, oblivious to her presence. Pausing an inch from the line, she stood still and silently for a long moment before speaking, voice even and calm. " Hello, father."

Startled look in his eyes, Voltaire slowly turned his gaze and gasped loudly when seeing her. He stared at her for a long time before finding his voice. " Jelena…." It was just a small, pitiable wheeze. " Impossible… You… died…" (1)

" Only to you", she replied, calmly as ever, still not taking a seat.

* * *

/ _When Dr. Franka Dushko entered the stinking medical-room of the Abbey, fixing her short reddish-blonde hair, she immediately froze to the spot due to what she saw._

_Beside a small, almost broken bed – slumped powerlessly to a equally wrecked chair next to it – sat Voltaire, huge, widened eyes glimmering, his hand clasping desperately to the limp one of his daughter's. " No…", the man whispered, over and over again. " Can't be… No…"_

_Franka was almost forty, and during the over ten years she'd worked in the Abbey she'd seen pretty much everything imaginable. But nothing had ever shocked her more than seeing that actually human look of sheer horror and despair upon the monster's face._

_Another doctor named Liena Weng – a little over thirty-years-old Chinese woman with long, maroon hair and amber eyes – who was stood right behind Voltaire, gave him a look of deep sympathy. " I'm sorry, Sir, but… Jelena's injuries were just too severe. There was nothing we could do for her."_

_For a while, Franka was sure Voltaire would burst into tears or faint as he stared at his daughter's lifeless, paled form. Eventually, such fury lit into his eyes that Franka found herself shivering. Still looking at his daughter, Voltaire hissed through tightly gritted teeth. " Firo… I will kill him for this… I'll slaughter him with my bare hands…" His eyes darkened. " And Bryan… This was his fault… He will pay for this…" So fast that it startled both women, he got up and stormed towards the door, eyes gleaming._

_He was almost out when Liena's voice stopped him. " Sir, wait! What… What should I do with the body?"_

_Voltaire didn't turn around, but Franka could see him shutter. " Burn it", came a deep, unfamiliar voice. " Hiwatari is a family of phoenix. Perhaps… Perhaps she will rise from the ashes." So saying, he was out._

_As soon as he was surely gone, Liena sprung into action. " We don't have much time", she announced, voice fervent. " Franka, give me a needle, quickly!"_

_Deeply puzzled, Franka obeyed, and frowned when she saw Liena preparing an adrenaline-injection. " What on earth are you doing?" she gasped. Her eyes then widened with realization, and a gasp escaped her. " You… She isn't…"_

_Roughly showing the needle into Jelena's neck, Liena shook her head. " No, she isn't", she confirmed. " This was the only way… to save her."_

_World was spinning before Franka's widened eyes. " What… What if Voltaire finds out?"_

_Eyes hard and determined, Liena looked at her, but didn't say a word._

_**¨**_

_The first thing Jelena sensed after being sucked out of bottomless pit of gray was overwhelming, all consuming sensation of suffocating. Coughing desperately to regain her pathetic, wheezing breath, she squeezed her eyes tightly shut, struggling to stay awake._

_As that emotion slowly disappeared, she growled when horrifying pain mercilessly started to hammer her entire body. It felt like she'd been smashed to millions of pieces. " Damnit…"_

" _Jelena, open your eyes, quickly. There isn't much time", a somewhat familiar female-voice suddenly called out for her._

_Slowly, reluctantly, she inched her eyelids to meet a pair of amber orbs. She frowned, confused. " What…?" What the heck had happened?_

" _You were injured during your battle with Firo", the woman – Dr. Liena Weng, as she now remembered – told her. " Voltaire thinks you're dead."_

_Jelena's head immediately started to spin, and she gasped in utter disbelief. Was this really happening? Was she… Was she finally… free? " How…?"_

" _There isn't much time", another doctor, Franka Dushko, stated, walking up to her with a small box. " You have a broken arm, and your ribs are damaged, but unfortunately we won't have time to wait for you to heal. Voltaire mustn't find out you're still alive."_

_Jelena nodded, desperately wanting to get out of the place, until she suddenly remembered something and shook her head determinedly. " I… I can't leave…I won't", she whispered, voice still very weak. " Not without Bryan…"_

_Liena's face showed great sadness and sternness at the same time when she looked at her, straight into eyes. " Jelena, I'm sorry, but you can't take Bryan with you. Not yet at least." Jelena opened her mouth, about to protest, but became interrupted as Liena went on. " Listen to me, Jelena. If you go and try to escape with Bryan, you'll both end up dead." The words were harsh, but the look in Liena's eyes told just how much they hurt her. " We will take care of him, until you'll be able to do so. We will protect him. I promise you."_

_Jelena was once again about to protest, but then realized that she couldn't. Liena was right: this was the only option – for both her and Bryan. Feeling her chest grow heavy with immense sorrow, she blinked to keep tears from coming and gave a small nod._

_Liena smiled encouragingly. " It's alright. Everything's going to work out, you'll see."_

" _We're running out of time", Franka suddenly announced, opening the box she'd given to Jelena and revealing what it held. " Put these on."_

_A bit stunned, Jelena fished out a wig – chin-length midnight-blue hair – and a box that held jade-green contact-lenses, plus a brand-new, clean Biovolt-uniform. Despite the sorrow and fear in her heart, she smiled slightly when seeing that on the bottom was her bit-chip – damaged, but glowing nevertheless. She looked at the two women, eyes filled with gratitude. " Thank you."_

_After getting dressed as fast as she possibly could in the condition she was in, she turned towards the women, who were now dressed up as guards. " Where do I go from here?"_

" _We're taking you to Finnish embassy", Liena told her. " A friend of mine named Inka is there waiting for you. After that… You'll get you a new identity, and she'll take you to Finland and take care of you."_

_Shivering slightly, Jelena nodded, wondering how this all would turn out. " Okay. Let's go then." Gods how little she suddenly wanted to leave!_

_The two women – who kept their faces covered by hoods and gladly weren't recognized by the rather unobservant guards – escorted her to the gates. A young male-guard stood there, and looked at them with a suspicious frown. " Where are you taking her?"_

" _She'll be participating to a match in half an hour", Franka informed, voice cold and hard. " Do you want me to inform Master Voltaire that she was delayed because of you?"_

_The man seemed to pale and shook his head. Not saying a word, he opened the gate for them._

_As she stepped out of the prison-like place and gates started to close behind her, Jelena looked over her shoulder for a one last time, tears in her eyes._

_I will find you, Bryan, she mentally promised. No matter for how long it takes, one day I will be with you again. _

_Comforted only by that thought, that thin promise, she stepped into the car Liena was driving and closed the door, feeling tears run down her cheeks._ /

* * *

Blinking his eyes, still in daze, Voltaire tried to sort out his thoughts. " Why did you come now, after all this time?" 

" Because I needed to set myself free", she told him. " I lost so many years because of you, father. Even though I can't change what's in the past, this way I can have a future."

Voltaire's eyes widened, he seemed almost lost. " But… I love you!" he cried out. " All I ever did was out of love! I… I wanted to protect you!"

" By locking me up like some animal? By hurting my friends? By almost killing the one I love?" Her voice was still calm and even. " You don't know what love is, father. You could never love anyone. What you call love is obsession to own someone. That's something I accepted a long time ago." She shook her head. " I spent so many years hating you, cursing your name, but then I understood that there was no point. As long as I'd feel anything towards you, you'd have a hold of me. That's another reason to why I came: to let go of you. To cut the final strings."

Voltaire seemed shocked. " But… You can't! I'm your father! You can't just… walk away from me!"

She smiled slightly. " I already have." The smile faded, leaving her face calm. " I have no feelings towards you whatsoever – no love, hate or pity. I've finally let go, and I suggest you to do the same. To me… you're just a long, bad dream that I've now woken up from." Slowly turning around, she gave the man she'd once called father one more look before walking towards the door. " Goodbye."

" Jelena, you can't do this!" Bouncing up, Voltaire rushed towards the wall, pounding it with his fists. " I am your father, damnit! You can't leave me!"

Pausing one step away from the door, Jelena turned her head towards him for one last time and looked at him. " Can't you see? To you, I'm already gone." With that she disappeared.

Voltaire's legs barely managed to support him as he stared at the closed door, almost like wishing it would be opened once again and this would all be just some bad dream, a huge mistake. But it remained closed. " Come back…", he whispered in Russian. " Please…"

All of a sudden, he felt something warm and moist on his cheeks. Blinking his eyes in confusion, he reached out with his fingers to find out what the moist was. What he discovered made a loud gasp escape his lips.

They… They were tears… His tears…

First time in his life, Voltaire Hiwatari was crying.

* * *

TBC.

* * *

A/N: My goodness it was satisfying to make Voltaire cry! I haven't had this much fun since… who knows when! 

So, emotions are running HIGH (I really hope not _too_ high for your liking!), Kai is slowly recovering, and all secrets are being unravelled… Only five chapters left, folks!

'Hope I'll see you all next time! Until then… please, please, please, **PLEASE** review! (And here comes the hyper-attack again…)

BTW, this time a rather important one! If there are any questions that you want answers to, feel free to ask me! I'll try to slip the answers into the remaining chapters.

(1) Just in case you have no idea of who Jelena is, as she was mentioned briefly a LONG time ago… She's Bryan's one and only true love. I think I introduced her in chapter 20.


	31. One step at a time

A/N: Hi again! After a furious battle (I had some 'issues' concerning a couple of scenes), here comes chapter 31! Phew!

A hundred reviews… (sits down in shock) Thank you SO MUCH for every single one of them! You have no idea of how much it warms my heart to know that you're still out there! (And stfu n00b, special thanks for the… grammar-notes! I hope I haven't made too many stupid mistakes, though not a native speaker…)

(Oh, and yeah, that KaixDara scene was the one I mentioned might surprise you. I'm so glad that at least so far, no one's announced hating it – after all, it was the first 'that type' of scene I've made.) (grins)

Okay, as there's nothing further, let's get on! In this chapter you'll learn a thing or two about Alissa – and in a way, Kai too… 'Hope this doesn't suck too badly!

* * *

CHAPTER 31: One step at a time 

**One and half months later.**

" Breathe."

" Relax."

" Listen to the pain."

" Don't overdo it."

" One step at a time."

The chorus of instructions, given with worry and anxiety, went unheard by Kai as he prepared to take one small step forward, both shivering hands clutching tightly on the wooden railings by his sides. Taking a deep breath, he prepared to lean his weight on the damaged leg.

_Just one step_, he told himself. _You can do it. You've been through worse._

The others watched with hearts in their throats as Kai braced himself, eyes flaming with sheer determination.

These had been long weeks of recovery, both physically and mentally. As soon as Kai had gained at least a small ounce of his strength back, he'd insisted to get to start physical therapy. It was, however, almost unbearably painful now, as his formally broken arm had been operated a week back. He was also somewhat eating now, though the dosages were hardly anything at all. And sometimes he could sleep for some hours without nightmares, but he still needed strong pills to help him rest. What healed much more slowly than his body was his mind. He was seeing psychiatrist Reza Carrington daily, but still wasn't exactly ready to open up to the stranger. They were making slow progress, though, and Kai was gradually beginning to trust on people again. But he was still far from the state of going outside the hospital – as crowds, loud noises and especially touches of strangers terrified him – and he was still extremely wary when it came to being touched by his male-friends. However, he was talking now – a little more each day – and it gave hope that perhaps one day, he'd be able to overcome this nightmare.

Steeling himself, Kai took the step and bravely bit back the shooting, excruciating pain that flowed through him from both his leg and heavily bandaged arm. Preparing for another step, that was going to be even more excruciating than the first one, he didn't even notice how badly his entire body was trembling.

" Remember Kai, this is no competition", Dr. Hendez told him. " It won't do you any good if you overdo this."

Gritting his teeth as another wave of pain cruelly attacked him, Kai squinted his eyes, staring straight ahead to keep his focus. " I'm… fine…"

Ever since he'd been trapped by Voltaire, he'd been more or less taken care of by someone. Though he knew his friends and Mr. Dickinson only meant well, the fact that he… depended on someone wasn't easy for him to accept, especially when he'd always been a private person. Besides, after all he'd been through, he needed to prove to everyone – and especially himself – that he was still capable of looking after himself – that although his mind and body were broken, he was still the same old Kai Hiwatari. That he wasn't helpless. These painful steps – no matter how small and wavering – were the only way he could find to do it.

Gathering all the strength within him, he grit his teeth even more tightly and took one more step, legs shaking with exhaustion, begging for rest – after all the weeks in bed, this was a huge strain for his body. His eyes squinted and a small, barely audible hiss of pain erupted through his lips.

" Remember Kai, don't do more than your body is ready for", Nadja warned him, evident slash of worry in her tight voice.

He just opened his mouth to tell her not to worry, when completely without warning his knees buckled.

" Kai!" Dara yelped, rushing towards him, but someone beat her to him.

Arms wrapped tightly, protectively, around Kai, helping him regain his balance. Still, after all the time passed, Kai found himself shivering furiously under the touch. " I've got you", Tyson murmured, giving him a critical look. " You okay?"

" Yeah. There was just… one step too much." He gave a small, faint smile of reassurance, shivering violently again to the touch when both Tyson and Ray wrapped an arm around him, guiding him to the nearby seat. " Thanks."

" You should stop pushing yourself too hard", Dr. Hendez warned him sternly. " You're making an amazing progress, but this way you'll end up doing more damage than good." She smiled. " I know how frustrating this is, but you'll just have to be patient."

" Well, patience has never been Kai's greatest virtue", came Tala's amused voice as the redhead entered the room with Max, Alissa and Bryan, followed by Kenny.

It had been a huge struggle, and required a long and harsh exchange of words in Russian, but eventually Kai had managed to drive the four of them out to train under Kenny's observation. After all, training-sessions had been less than few during the past weeks. But now, it was finally time to get back to somewhat normal – for all of them.

" How did it go?" Tyson asked Max as the blonde walked up to him, gently taking the boy's hand.

" They all need a lot of training to regain their former power. After all, they haven't been practising much lately", Kenny replied before Max got the chance to speak. " So… Not too good."

Everyone could see the dangerous flash in Kai's eyes. " We all know what's coming up", Dizzi bleeped.

" There's no more delaying it", Kai announced to the gang, eyes flaming. " You've been lazing around a lot lately, but now it has to end. Practise-session will take place right about now."

" But… Kai…", Tyson begun.

" Are you sure?" Dara finished with a frown. " I mean…"

" I can't just stay inside four walls for the rest of my life", Kai announced determinedly. " Besides, it's time to go back to normal, to start over."

Looking into Kai's eyes, Ray realized that the boy was right. First time since Voltaire had taken him, a hint of the flame that challenged any fire in the world could be seen in the Russian's eyes. This was something Kai needed to recuperate. Besides, the idea of returning to normal sounded far too tempting to resist. " I think Kai has a point", he announced, then smirked, revealing his fangs. " After all, we've been missing the good old Kai Hiwatari's 'train until you drop' – sessions."

First time in a long, long time, Kai gave his trademark smirk when looking at him. " That remark just earned you two hundred extra push-ups, Kon."

Seeing Ray's miserable pout, everybody cracked up. Even Dr. Yagama had a small smile upon her lips. " I suppose a _small_ dosage of _mild_ training wouldn't do harm", she stated, then pushed a wheelchair towards Kai. " But I afraid you'll still have to use this." Her smile only widened to his grim expression. " There's no use giving me that look. Your arm is healing nicely. I don't want all that progress to go to waste because you're pushing yourself too hard."

Kai's eyes flashed and he gave a loud growl as he glared at the wheelchair. " I've sat on that cursed thing for ages! I will _never_ use it again – I'm completely fine!"

Tyson rolled his eyes. " Yeah, sure you are, what now you almost fall over after three steps." Grinning widely, he took the wheelchair and gave Kai an adorable puppy-dog look.

Kai growled, but sit on nevertheless. " I so hate you sometimes, you know that?"

Tyson laughed. " Quit that sulking, Sourpuss. You have an army of nurses around you – what do you have to complain?"

A sly look appeared into Kai's eyes. " Ty, I afraid that was a _big_ mistake", the Russian announced. " I have just a right training-program to shut a little jitter-box like you up."

This time, it was Tyson's turn to pout as he started to push Kai's wheelchair. " Meanie-face", the Japanese accused.

* * *

Some hours later, after the training that'd been just as intense as ever despite Kai's physical condition, Ray found Alissa lying prone on her bed in the BBA-headquarters. He grinned as her silent whimpers reached his ears. " Tough training, huh?" 

Alissa gave him a homicidal look. " Don't make me hurt you." Another moan, much louder than the last ones, escaped as she pulled herself into a sitting position. " Damnit…"

Ray's grin widened. " You're in no condition to threaten anyone, Lissa." Sitting beside her, he gave her forehead a gentle kiss of comfort. " I know the first round is pain, having been there. But don't worry, after about a hundred or so of them you'll get used to it."

Alissa rolled her eyes, unimpressed. " Oh joy…" Her face then lit up a little. " But it was good to see Kai as his old self."

Ray smiled slightly. " Yeah." The smile widened. " Perhaps everything will be the same one day after all."

All of a sudden, Alissa found herself feeling very, very cold.

Yes, things were going back to normal. Which meant that she couldn't keep avoiding the inevitable anymore. The moment of truth was close.

" Lissa?" Ray's eyes seemed worried as he looked at her. " What's wrong?"

But before Alissa ever had to answer, there was a sound of Ray's cell-phone ringing. " It's my mom", the boy announced, seeming somewhat surprised.

Feeling a huge rush of relief for not having to answer Ray's questions, Alissa quickly bounced up, starting to leave. " I… I'll go and get a glass of water."

Deep frown of worry upon his face, Ray watched the girl go, wondering what was wrong with her. He, however, quickly shook the thought away. This was the first time since he'd been hospitalized after he and Bryan's battle his mother called – something could be wrong. " Hey", he greeted once picking up. " What's going on?"

" _Ray-san, I need you to answer me truthfully._" Her voice was strangely stern. " _Are the rumours of you and Alissa Ivanov true?_"

At first, Ray was too stunned to speak. _Geez, the news do travel fast… _When he did, there was a clear, defensive edge in his tone. " Yes, they are." He frowned. " Did you call me just to ask that? Why would my relationship with Alissa be a problem?"

" _Don't you read magazines?_" The tone of her voice chilled Ray. Never before had there been such venom and disgust in his mother's voice. " _You have no idea of what she's capable of, Ray. You don't have a slightest clue of what she is._"

* * *

/ _Valeri watched with pride in his eyes as Alissa rapidly worked on the grocery-store's old lock, face filled with concentration. " Just stay calm, and remember what I taught you", the boy muttered. " One more twitch to right…" There was a small click, and the door slid open. Valeri smiled and gave Alissa a kiss. " Excellent, Allie-cat."_

_She smirked, although a huge tidal wave of nausea flooded over her. " I was taught by the best."_

_Carefully making sure that no one saw what they were doing, the gang sneaked in. _

" _I'm still not sure if this a good idea", Jin – a girl with short, blood-read hair and sharp, ocean-coloured eyes – whispered._

" _Just follow us", Valeri – who was leading the group, as per usual – snarled, sounding deeply annoyed. " If you don't want to take part into this, then beat it, but I'm not letting you get us all caught."_

_Tightly shutting her mouth, Jin followed them. _

" _Take only what we absolutely need, 'k?" Alissa whispered, uncomfortable feeling still sitting heavily on her stomach._

_Mikhailov rolled his eyes. " Oh please… Spare us from that 'Angel-Allie' – preach. If you don't feel comfortable with this…"_

" _Leave her be", Valeri growled, eyes squinting dangerously. Just then sounds of approaching sirens could be heard. " Fuck…"_

" _Who the hell called the police!" Aleg – a huge, muscular boy with chocolate-brown hair and strange, orange eyes – roared._

" _What does it matter!" Marko – a small, pale guy with aqua-coloured hair and hazel eyes – snapped, finishing with emptying the cash-register._

_Alissa's eyes squinted. " We weren't supposed to empty the entire place!"_

" _Spare the lectures for later and run for it, will you?" Mikhailov snarled. " We'll better make it a hassle!"_

_And so they ran, as fast as humanly possible, and made it out of the store just when the police arrived. Everyone was panting as they made it to the still rather busy street._

_Almost safe on the other side, Alissa suddenly gave a cry of pain as her ankle twisted and she stumbled to the street – not noticing the car that was approaching her, fast._

_Alarmed by her voice, Valeri – who was already standing on the other side – turned around, and his eyes widened with immense shock as the sight greeted him. He screamed at the top of his lungs. " Alissa, NO!"_

_Slowly turning her head, Alissa gave a loud gasp when seeing the car, and desperately fighting against the pain struggled up. But it was helplessly too late._

_Tires screeches as the driver furiously tried to stop the car, but before that ever happened Alissa felt a hellish thrust, then horrifying, searing pain as she smashed against the window-glass and flew to the street. Screams of her gang-mates echoed in her ears as she drifted into darkness._

_**¨**_

_When she slowly started to come to, she immediately moaned from the pain that radiated through her from her ankle, arm and head._

" _Hey, are you awake?" came a unfamiliar, worried voice in English._

_Slowly opening her eyes, she saw an elderly man with white hair and mahogany eyes above her, blurry because of her spinning vision._

_Seeing her awake, the man seemed tremendously relieved. " Thank God you're alright! I… I'm so sorry… I just… I didn't see you coming, I…"_

_And just then, the sound of sirens reached her ears. Her eyes widened, and the horrifying pain in her ankle didn't even register to her as she struggled up._

_I've gotta get away from here!  
She didn't hear the man's shouts of protest as she spun around and started to run, oblivious to the stream of blood that escaped from the long, deep wound on her arm, going all the way from shoulder to the tip of her index finger._

_She had absolutely no clue of how she got there, but eventually she found herself just outside the gates of some strange monastery. By then, she was shivering violently and limping, as the pain had finally started to register to her. The hand she'd helplessly pressed onto her arm, trying to stop the bleeding, was caked with blood. Her knees were so weak that she'd definitely fall soon, and her vision was spinning so badly that she could barely see._

_She could absently hear a loud sound of alarm-system going off and shouts, until there was a boy with longish, lavender hair and also lavender eyes approaching her, suspicious look upon his face. " Who are you?" he demanded in a harsh voice. " What the hell are you doing here?"_

_Just as he'd walked up to her, her knees buckled, and she fell straight into his arms. " Help…", she managed to whisper before everything went black._

**_¨_**

_As Alissa once again started to wake up, her nose wrinkled to both the hellish pain in her arm and ankle, and the sickening stink lingering thickly in the air._

_It seemed to take for ages before her heavy eyelids were willing to open, but as soon as they did she instinctively took a look at her damaged arm – and gave a growl. It was stitched up, but so poorly that she could've done better herself. " Crap…"_

_Suddenly a voice startled her. " So you are finally awake, I see. How very nice." Quickly looking up, she saw the boy who'd caught her when she'd fainted. There was something in his hand. " Is this yours?"_

_Her eyes blazed and her entire soul filled with rage when she recognized_ _the object. It was her beyblade – the only memento she had left of her family. Despite her condition, she was up faster than he could blink, and in a flash of a second she'd pinned him tightly against the wall and taken back her blade. " Touch it ever again…", she hissed. " … and I'll kill you. Understood?"_

_The boy grinned. " Feisty little thing. You'll definitely suit into the Abbey."_

" _Bryan, would you leave us alone?" suddenly came a new, disturbingly familiar male-voice._

_Reluctance written all over his face, the boy obeyed. As soon as he was gone, the man stepped out of the shadows – and Alissa felt her blood boil when she faced the man who'd killed she and Tala's parents. " You bastard…"_

_The man gave a hollow, chilling laughter. " Now that's not a very nice way to greet an old friend", he admonished. His eyes then became dark. " I came to tell you the rules, brat. If you won't obey my orders, I will kill your brother. One mistake, and you'll never see Tala again. Got that?"_

_Gritting her teeth so strongly that it hurt, she nodded. And for months, she had no other choice but to obey._ /

* * *

" _I won't let you slip into the grasp of someone like her, I love you too much_", Ray's mother announced him. " _You deserve something far better._" 

Just then, there was a loud sound of glass breaking. Looking up, Ray saw Alissa stood by the doorway, face ghostly pale and entire frame shivering uncontrollably. The glass of water she'd been holding was now shattered on the floor, the liquid spread all over.

Their gazes locked, and Ray felt his heart twinge as he saw the horrified, devastated look in her eyes. It was obvious that she knew perfectly what his mother was saying.

" _You come from a good family, Ray. Think about us_", his mother kept saying, voice still hard and resolute. _" If you'd choose a piece of __scamp like her, we'd have no other choice but to disown you. Your father would never be able to look at you in the eyes again. Are you sure that you'd be ready to pay such a price for a disgraceful delinquent?_"

* * *

/ _Venom could be sensed in the air as the familiar gang gathered onto a street-corner._

" _Well look what the cat brought in", Mikhailov snorted as he watched the girl with shortcut, black-dyed hair before him. " The little turncoat is back."_

_Alissa gave the boy a murderous glare. " I wouldn't say a word about loyalty after you all left me to die onto that street", she hissed. You have no idea of what I've been through, she mentally added._

" _We have reached our decision of your future in our gang", Valeri announced, stern look in his eyes._

_For some reason, the tone of the boy's voice made Alissa feel cold all over. " And…?"_

_Reluctance could be seen in Mikhailov's eyes. " You can stay."_

" _But with a price – after all, you were gone for four months. You have to show us that you earn our trust", Valeri filled in. " You need to perform… a test."_

_Rage flickered in Alissa's eyes as he understood perfectly what was happening. " I won't hurt anyone, not ever again. I thought I'd made myself perfectly clear."_

" _You have two options", Mikhailov announced in a steely voice. " Either you do this, or live in the streets. It's your choice."_

" _Let me take care of this." Taking a steely hold of her wrist, Valeri pulled her further from the others._

_Alissa was suddenly alarmed. A deep frown came to her features. " What the heck is this?"_

_Not saying a word, Valeri slowly moved his glow so the she could see the back of his hand. Her heart leapt all the way up to her throat as she saw the solid Biovolt-mark on it. " Oh my God…"_

_Valeri's opal-coloured eyes – the ones she'd once loved – were soulless and filled with coldness as he looked at her. " If you won't do this, I will call Voltaire, and your brother will be executed. Do we understand each other?"_

_A rush of emotions went through her. Disbelief transformed into shock, after which such rage filled her that it was almost impossible not to kill the boy there and then. Her entire body was shivering from fury. " You… asshole…"_

_Valeri's eyes showed no emotions. " Do this, and Tala lives", he stated, then turned around and slowly started to walk away. " Boris has fixed you an opponent. The battle starts in fifteen minutes."_

_**¨**_

_The surprisingly big warehouse immediately filled with loud, wild chorus of cheers and furious shouts as Alissa entered, followed by her gang-mates. Her eyes were filled with disgust and hatred as she looked at the group that had taken seats, hungry, possessed looks in their eyes. " I'll put my bet on the girl", one of them announced as she walked pass._

_This was the hidden world of illegal bey-battles. Unlike in the real matches, these weren't about fair-play and innocent, clean game. In these dark, forbidden battles, beyblades were used as weapons, and the only purpose was to harm the opponent so badly the they wouldn't be able to fight any longer. Sometimes, this meant death. Throughout the match someone was keeping an eye on police, making sure that they wouldn't be caught, as the punishment of arranging a bey-battle of this type was jail-sentence. But that didn't stop the promoters: Boris and Voltaire always managed to get them out of prison with only minor fines to pay, and the betting-business made them all rich._

_Alissa woke up from her dark thoughts as she noticed that she was standing inside a irony cage, which locked in the fighters – this was the only way to protect the audience from the intense battles. " Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to yet another breathtaking battle!" the host shouted out. " Tonight, we'll be having special treat as two strong bladers are head to head – give a big hand to Alissa and Alexander!" _(1)

_As the audience roared, Alissa looked at the boy on the opposite side of the cage. He was some years younger than she, with dark-brown hair and blue eyes that at the moment shone with something close to terror._

_Gosh, he definitely wasn't ready for this… She hated herself for having to do this._

_But this was the only way to save Tala's life – and somebody else's…_

" _Bladers, prepare yourselves! 3… 2… 1… Let it riiiiiiiiiip!"_

_It wasn't for long until Alissa was attacking Alexander. It took all she had not to cry as she watched him scream in agony when her blade ripped a nasty, deep wound onto his cheek._

_Soon enough, Alexander's blade was in such condition that it might fall apart any moment – as was the boy, deep lacerations all over his arms and face. But instead of giving in, he desperately called for his beast. " ZANWORG! Help me!"_

_Alissa felt her heart shattering to pieces as she watched the magnificent snow-leopard appear. It took a furious fight to wipe all emotions from her face. " That was a huge mistake, kiddo." Tears almost spilling, she summoned her beast. " LUMERA!" God, I'm so sorry, kid…_

_Deafening roars could be heard as the huge beasts challenged each other, causing an energy-field that threw both bladers against the irony bars. Alissa winced as she felt air leaving her lungs. " Shit…", she hissed, then squinted her eyes with determination. No matter how little she liked the idea, this had to be done. " Lumera, FINISH HIM!"_

_She couldn't watch as her loyal beast attacked the beautiful white leopard. Pain-filled moan of the beast's could be heard, followed by Alexander's heartbreaking scream. " ZANWORG! NO!"_

_But it was much too late. As Alissa slowly opened her eyes, she saw the boy's blade laying on the floor, shattered to thousands of pieces in front of its helplessly crying, shivering and injured owner, who'd sunken to his knees. Her own blade, on the other hand, was still spinning, unharmed._

_But the hardest part was yet to come._

_It took her entire self-control not to cry as she called her blade back and darted it towards the leopard bit-beast, beginning to suck it in._

_Oh Alexander, I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…_

_The wounded boy's eyes were filled with immense horror and desperate pleading as he looked at her, shaking his head. " Please, don't… I'm begging you, don't take him, please… He's all I've got…"_

_Swallowing down her tears, she forced herself to look away from the boy – if she hadn't, she would've broken down completely. She felt a bittersweet mixture of relief, guilt and grief as she noticed that the job was done – the leopard was trapped inside her blade. As she turned around and walked out of the cage, the boy's frantic cry was left echoing into her ears. " NO!"_

_Valeri gave her a look as she passed by. " Allie…"_

_Not saying a word, she kept walking, deaf to the cheers and shouts of the audience. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut to hold back tears of sadness and rage._

_And as the doors of the warehouse closed behind her, she decided that she'd never forgive Valeri – or herself – for this._

_**¨**_

_About half an hour later, Boris entered the Biovolt's medical-room where Alexander had been taken into. His eyes flashed like ones of predator's as he saw the lost, broken look in the boy's eyes. This was almost too easy… " So, Alexander…" The eyes met his. " You saw how strong I could make you, how much I could help you accomplish. Do you still turn me down?" His eyes gleamed. " Or would you like to get a chance to revenge her – and everyone like her?"_

_The flame that lit into Alexander's eyes left no room for error. " Yes", the boy hissed. " I want revenge. I want to destroy her for taking Zanworg – and I need you to train me for that." _/

* * *

As Ray roared to his mother, he probably had no idea Alissa could speak Chinese. " So now I should bow down to the same father who's been beating me up since I was five? There's no way in hell I'll let him choose who I want close to me!" 

It seemed to take infinity before the heated phone-call finally ended, and even longer before Ray finally looked at Alissa. She tried desperately to look for something – anything – close to acceptance and forgiveness from his eyes, but could only find shades of disappointment and anger.

There were tears in her eyes as she kept looking at him, shivering violently. " I'm sorry." So saying, she was out, closing the door softly behind her.

As soon as she got out of the room, Alissa leaned against a wall, still shivering like a leaf, and closed her eyes as tightly as possible. Tears leaked to her cheeks as she gave a cry, feeling her heart tearing to pieces.

She couldn't believe that this was happening all over again.

Mikhailov had been right – her friends wouldn't understand. No one would. And how could they, when even she couldn't forgive herself?

These people would abandon her, just like everyone else. And she'd been an idiot thinking otherwise.

* * *

/ _Storm was set into Valeri's eyes as he looked at Alissa, who stood before him in the shadowy room, eyes showing nothing but certainty and hatred. " You have got to be joking." His voice was shivering with anger. " Do you honestly think that you could just… walk away from us, without consequences?"_

_Alissa's eyes flashed as breathtaking wave of sadness and rage flooded through her. " You had a part of me once, but at the moment, you represent everything I've ever despised. There's nothing you can do to keep me here."_

_Valeri's eyes flickered, and before she could do a thing, his fist found her cheek. She gave a small growl as she landed roughly to the floor. " I marked you!" the boy roared. " You belong to me! I won't let you leave!"_

_Fury flooded through Alissa, blissfully washing away all sense. Giving a furious shriek, she jumped up and attacked the boy before he could blink. She felt almost chilling sensation of pleasure as she watched him fall. " Stay away from me, you piece of shit", she hissed, then whirled around, beginning to leave. " Don't bother getting up for me, I know my way out." _

_Despite the harsh words and the pain caused by Valeri's fist, tears ran down her cheeks as she walked away with a hand placed onto her belly, the basis of her life once again shattered._

_And from that day forward, she lived solely to protect the little she could call family – even though the price almost shattered her._ /

* * *

Alissa almost cried out of fright when there was a sudden pressure in her other hand. Snapping her eyes open and looking down, she found a bigger hand tightly clasping onto hers. Looking up again in total stun, she met a pair of flaming, golden orbs. " I won't let go", Ray whispered. " Ever." 

Still not quite knowing what to do, she looked at him for a longest time, evaluating. After a tireless age, it seemed, she finally gave Ray's hand a gentle squeeze and leaned her forehead against the boy's chest, closing her eyes.

* * *

Some hours later, Tyson's mind was whirling with thoughts as he approached Kai's hospital room. 

That day – with the training and everything little by little going back to normal – had been a huge relief to them all, but still… He couldn't help feeling that something was still unsolved. Something about Kai was troubling him, and he needed to make sure the boy was alright before he'd be able to relax.

Unfortunately all his dark suspicions were confirmed as he opened the door, and was greeted by a sound of someone heaving loudly. Frowning, he stepped further. " Kai?" The boy wasn't in his bed, and as Tyson checked more carefully he noticed the crutches he sometimes used were gone.

Another heave could be heard from the bathroom, and his frown of worry deepened. He made up his mind quickly, and begun approaching the bathroom-door. " I'm coming in, 'k?" The sound of toilet being flushed was his only reply.

Tyson's heart shrunk as he opened the door, and the sight presented itself to him. Kai was – as well as he possibly could with the damaged leg – slumped onto the floor, other hand supporting him against the wall. The boy was shivering all over, face frighteningly pale, eyes glazed over. Swallowing harshly, Tyson took a hesitating step forward. " K – Kai? Are you alright?"

" Yeah." The voice was weak and hoarse, Tyson guessed Kai had been throwing up for quite some time before he came. " Just… the implants…"

Tyson frowned once again. " Are the symptoms becoming worse?" he asked softly. Kai replied with a small nod, still not looking at him, eyes sliding shut exhaustedly.

They remained silent for a long time, Tyson rubbing Kai's back to offer at least some degree of comfort as the boy was overcome by another attack of nausea.

He couldn't help feeling deeply worried for Kai. The cyber implants had started to cause side-effects pretty soon after the boy had started to recover: twinges, headaches – and nausea, which had never been quite as bad as it was now. And if it was getting worse… Tyson could only wonder how much more Kai would be able to take.

Suddenly his thoughts were ripped elsewhere as he saw the bare skin of Kai's neck the boy's hospital-gown exposed, and noticed that there was something on it, something a white scarf had always been covering. Frowning yet again, he leaned forward to see better, and was surprised when discovering that it was actually a tattoo, a series of numbers. 1-7-5-6.

Just then Kai tensed, most definitely sensing what he was doing. " Tyson… Get your hands off me."

Knowing that there was no point in upsetting Kai, he did as ordered. " Sorry… I just…." Curiosity being one of his ruling characteristics, he couldn't keep himself from asking. " Kai… What's this tattoo all about?"

If possible, Kai tensed even more, eyes getting a deepest shade of grey Tyson had ever seen. The question had obviously been a big mistake. " Granger…" Uh-huh, _huge_ mistake. Kai only called Tyson by his last name when the Russian was _really_ annoyed with him. There was a long pause. " I… don't want to talk about it."

Tyson gulped. " I… I'm sorry, I shouldn't have…"

Kai shook his head. " Just don't ask me about it _ever_ again, alright?" Another pause, during which he threw up once again. " Ty… Would you please leave, 'k? This has been a really rough night, so…" Kai's voice was oddly soft and deep, result of the vomiting and raging emotions.

Knowing that there was no other choice, Tyson nodded, reluctantly getting up and preparing himself to leave. " 'K. Just… If you want to talk, call me, okay?" Stood by the door of the bathroom, he looked at still shivering and pale Kai, unwilling to leave the boy alone. " Hang in there, buddy", he half-whispered after a long pause, not knowing what else to say.

Receiving a small nod from Kai, Tyson slowly turned around and begun to walk away, deeply hoping that Kai would've changed his mind and asked him to stay after all. That, however, never happened, and the last thing he heard before closing the door was yet another heave.

* * *

It was already rather late as Dara quietly slipped into Kai's hospital room to check up on the boy. Her heart immediately ached at what she saw.

Kai sat on his bed, his back to her, both fists laying by his sides, squeezed into so tight balls that knuckles had turned white. His shoulders were slightly tense and head bowed, entire essence radiating that he was deep in thought. On the floor below him was his blue beyblade, spinning furiously.

Dara's heart twinged even more. She knew Kai well enough to know that he was looking like that only when something was deeply bothering him.

It was silent for a while, until she spoke with a worried frown. " Kai? You alright? Tyson told us you'd been… sick." Not sure if she should approach the boy, she paused midway of the room. " What are you still doing awake? Another nightmare?"

Still not looking at her, Kai shook his head. " No." The voice was strained, almost weak. " I just… I couldn't make myself go back to the bed after the first one." She then figured out what was wrong with his deep, tense voice: he'd been crying, probably still was. " No matter how heavily they drug me, the nightmares won't go away."

Feeling a heavy bang in her chest, she slowly walked up to him, then cautiously wrapped her arms around his shoulders, trying her hardest to signal him that he wasn't alone anymore. Despite the pain caused by seeing him like that, she felt a wave of joy when he didn't seem startled by her touch, although tensed a bit. " It's okay", she whispered. " You're safe now. It's over." They both knew she wasn't talking just about the nightmare.

Kai's body shuttered with a silent sob that tore her heart. He still wouldn't look at her. " How can you be so sure?" The tone was broken, weak. " How can it ever be over?" From the window-glass, she could see the reflection of his face. There was a lost, haunted look in his eyes that made her heart wrench. " I see it every freakin' time I look into a mirror, Dara! I… I can still hear their voices." He shuttered again. For a while it was silent, until he went on. " You know… What if Voltaire was right? What if we really are too dangerous to live among normal people?"

Not self noticing it, Dara tightened her hold of him. " Kai, I want to listen to me, and listen to me good. We deserve a life, no matter what we were originally trained – programmed – for. We are worth of happiness, and we most certainly deserve to be free after everything those bastards did to us. Never, ever question that again." Her hold tightened even more. " I know how horrible it was, how sick the things those two freaks made you do were – I was forced through the same. But you need to let it go. Otherwise you'll never get pass it."

He gave a shuttering sigh. " I… I just don't know…" There was pain and sadness in his voice, so much that it almost tore her heart apart. His blade finally stopped spinning, making a clinking sound as it tripled to the floor. " Nothing brings them back…"

A sudden rush of determination filled Dara. Slowly, not wanting to startle Kai, she climbed to the bed and sat right next to him. She then graphed his chin, forcing him to look at her. " Kai, you have to talk about it – all of it", she announced sternly, not giving any chances for objections. Her eyes were filled with tenderness and unconditional affection as she once again tightened her hold of him. " Because if you don't … It'll eat you up alive." She smiled gently, releasing one hand of Kai to wipe away his still spilling tears. " You don't have to be afraid, Kai. I won't run away. I won't hurt you. I just… I want to help you." Her eyes filled with pleading as they bore into his confused, almost scared ones. " Please, let me help you. Don't shut me out like this."

" I…" There was a clear hint of frustration in Kai's eyes as he sighed, turning his gaze away. " Look, it's not about trust, you know that. It's just… I'm not ready to talk about… it… Not yet."

Smiling gently, she gave him a small nod of reassurance. " I understand." After slight hesitation, she took his hand and kissed it. " As long as you remember that when you are, no matter for how long it takes, I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."

Smiling slightly, Kai nodded as well. " Okay." Giving a deep, exhausted sigh, he pulled her closer and buried his face into her soft hair.

" Tired?" she suggested, stroking his back.

" Hmm."

Smiling, she pulled him down to the bed with her. A deeply shocked look appeared into his eyes as he realized what they were doing. " You really need to sleep. It's okay", she reassured him as they both carefully laid down, Kai with much hesitance. She wrapped her arms protectively around him, with that simple gesture trying to show Kai that he didn't have to be afraid of falling asleep anymore.

Small, deeply tired smile appeared to Kai's lips as his burgundy eyes slid shut. Just before sleep overcame him, he gave a barely coherent whisper. " Thank you." With that he was out.

Smiling, she stroked his hair, watching his for once calm and painless face. " You're welcome." She gave his forehead a gentle kiss. " Goodnight."

_One step at a time_, she told herself.

Kai was still far from okay, but little by little, piece by piece, she'd fix the damage Voltaire had done. No matter what or how long it would take, she'd make Kai unbroken again. She'd keep him safe from his nightmares.

With those thoughts she also fell asleep, arms tightly around the one that meant to her more than anyone else in the world.

* * *

Shadows were already dancing in the white room where Voltaire was imprisoned as lawyer Sergei Gregojev entered, stern look upon his wrinkled face. As soon as Voltaire heard his steps, the man lifted his gaze from the book he'd been reading. " Did you get the job done?"

Sergei nodded, taking a seat. " Yes, Sir. You'll be transported into a regular prison tomorrow for the trial." He looked around the almost hospital-like room. " After all, they can't keep you in a place like this forever."

" Good. I was beginning to get terribly bored in here." Voltaire slowly got up from his bed, stretching like a cat waking up from its nap. " The possibilities of a place like this are limited." The man then looked at him, soulless eyes making him shiver. " How much money was spent?" Voltaire wasn't an idiot: he knew that to get him out of here, certain people had probably been… persuaded into giving their blessing.

" A lot", Sergei admitted. " But it was well worth it, wouldn't you say?"

" Yes", Voltaire murmured, looking at his surrounding. " Very well worth it indeed." He then looked at Sergei. " Thank you. You may leave now. I will contact you when I need you."

He nodded and got up, relieved to get away from the man's terrifying eyes. " Alright."

As the heavy door closed behind Sergei, Voltaire drifted into his thoughts.

Never before had he been forced to pay for his freedom, for space to move. And there was one person to blame of it.

His eyes slowly slid shut.

_You'll pay for locking me up in here, grandson_, he announced to himself, squeezing his fists into so tight balls that his knuckles turned white. _No one rises against Voltaire Hiwatari without being punished._

His eyes snapped open, horrifyingly dark, almost black, with hatred. The monster's gaze was filled with desperate hunger of revenge. Gradually the emotions were all pushed away, and the eyes regained their original colour, turning soulless.

_One step at a time_, he told himself. _Sooner or later, Kai will pay – dearly._

* * *

TBC.

* * *

A/N: Uh huh, the secrets are really coming out… And no doubt about it, even more of those will be revealed once the trial begins. 

What the heck is that tattoo of Kai's? (Remember, Dara was mentioned to have the same kind in chapter 18.) And what are those horrible things he says he's done? Will Voltaire manage to plot on a revenge?

In the next chapter, you will find out all the rest of Alissa – and learn something… new about Kai and the other Abbey-kids.

Only four more chapters to go! Stay tuned, everyone! And **PLEEEEEEEASE**, send a review!

(And if you have any requests, those are also welcomed!)

(1) In case you wondered, yes, the same Alexander who Tyson fought in Beyblade-episode " Hot Battle in a Cold Town".


	32. Gomen nasai

A/N: Hey everyone! Ready or not, here's another chapter!

But before unfolding even more secrets… Thank you from the bottom of my heart for those heart-warming reviews! You guys have no idea of how much they mean to me, especially since I wasn't exactly sure about the last chapter. (HUUUUGS) (**Lady Of The Damned Land**, welcome back! I already missed you!)

(Gaah, I'm seriously starting to wonder how this'll ever be finished in just four chapters as well! Be aware, folks! I forecast looong chapters in horizon!)

(Oh, if you're still curious 'bout Alexander… There's a small piece of his tale in this chapter.)

Awkay, let's get on with the story, shall we! Or no, one things first…

Um… The trial against Voltaire and Boris starts here, and… Seriously, I have no idea of courtroom-etiquette, so… Pardon me. All my knowledge is based on law-series. (grins)

Okay, okay, stop throwing things at me! Here we go!

* * *

CHAPTER 32: Gomen nasai 

The small room in a Japanese courthouse was filled with a group of extremely nervous teenagers as the beginning of the trial against Voltaire Hiwatari and Boris Balkov approached.

_Keep breathing, just keep breathing and relax_, Kenny kept telling himself, over and over again, walking a nervous hole onto the floor. _Gosh, I can't believe this…_

" Chief, stop that phasing", Tyson ordered, sounding extremely annoyed. " You don't even have to testify."

" Neither do you, but I don't see any nails left on your fingers", Kenny snapped back, then sighed deeply and slumped onto a chair, burying his face into his hands. " Sorry. This is all just so… overwhelming, you know?"

Tyson smiled a little, not seeming any less tense than Kenny was. " Yeah. Trust me, I do."

Everyone jumped as the door suddenly opened, but relaxed when seeing that it was just Dara. They all knew she'd been out to call Kai for about fiftieth time, as Dr. Hendez still didn't dare to let him outside the hospital.

Dara sighed when taking a seat, then bounced back up again, beginning to phase around the room.

Seeing that she was in a need of comforting words, Max spoke out. " Everything's gonna be alright, you know? We'll get those bastards behind bars, you'll see."

Dara gave a ghost of a smile, entire essence radiating gratitude for his soothing words. " Thanks."

Just then the door opened again, and every smile faded as they saw Shelly Tshadov stood at the doorway, a stern look in her eyes. " It's time", she announced, then smiled when seeing the looks upon their faces. " Try to relax, everyone. With all they've done to you, this'll be a piece of cake." Just then she noticed that not everyone was present. " Where are Alissa and Ray?"

" They went somewhere outside", Tyson informed. " Alissa had something to tell him."

* * *

Not too far away, Ray and Alissa were walking silently through the huge halls of the courthouse. So far not a word had been passed between then. 

Eventually, Ray realized that the silence had to be broken. He looked at Alissa. " There was something you needed to tell me."

Alissa seemed more serious than he'd ever seen her, her face fell grey. " Yeah." They stopped walking, and she turned her head, looking at him straight into eyes. Her gaze was filled with a mixture of pain and fear. " Look, there's… something… you don't know about me yet. Something that will probably come out today. And…" Her eyes were filled with fear as she looked at him, preparing for the biggest leap of faith in her life. " I… I'm not sure of… how you'll feel about it."

* * *

Sitting under eyes of the two men he'd despised and feared for almost all his life, Bryan could just barely keep himself from either killing them or escaping. Only prosecutor Tshadov's encouraging gaze kept him still. " Mr. Kuznetsov, how did you end up into the Abbey?" 

" It happened when I was seven." He swallowed thickly, barely handling what had happened during the worst day of his life. " It… it was my birthday, actually. My mother – Karemi Kuznetsov – was just putting me into bed when there was a knock on our door." He had to pause for a while to pick himself up. " She told me to be very quiet and to stay in bed, but… I didn't. I wanted to see."

Tshadov nodded. " Who was at the door?"

" Voltaire Hiwatari and Boris Balkov", Bryan spat through his teeth, his eyes squinted as the venomous names left his mouth. " They'd came for me."

* * *

/ _Small Bryan soundlessly crept to the upper end of the stairs in his small home. Carefully avoiding being seen, he peered down, anxious to see who his mother had so forcefully told him to stay out of sight from._

_There were two men with his mother in downstairs. She had her back to him, but he could see the men's face clearly. Another one of them, a tall man with purple hair, seemed distantly familiar to him, and Bryan immediately decided he didn't like this man. The other was older, and his emotionless, steely eyes made cold shivers run down Bryan's spine. " We came to collect your son", the older one announced, voice betraying no emotions. " It's the price we agreed for your freedom, remember?"_

" _You'll never have him", Karemi snarled. " I might've been stupid and naïve back then, but I won't make the same mistake again. I will never give you my son."_

_Giving a low laughter, Voltaire touched her face, making her shiver visibly. " Oh Karemi, you foolish woman… You should know better than defy me by now. Don't you remember what we did to your husband?"_

_Shivering even more, Karemi clenched her fists into determined balls. " Get out of my house!" she bellowed, taking a brave, threatening step towards the two men. They didn't budge._

_All of a sudden, probably sensing Bryan's frightened stare, the purple-hared man turned his gaze – and it locked to Bryan's. " Sir, it seems we have audience."_

_The older man and Karemi both swiftly turned their heads. Seeing her son, Karemi let out a loud gasp, eyes widened with immense terror. " Bryan, go! Run!" she screamed and tried to run towards him, but Voltaire's crushing grip prevented her. " Don't let them take you!" As Bryan still remained frozen to the spot, a look of sheer desperation appeared into her eyes. " I'll be fine, they won't hurt me! GO!"_

_As the purple-hared man begun to move towards the stairs, Bryan realized that he had no other choice but to run. Faster than ever in his life he darted towards his room, and locked the door as soon as he got there. Only few seconds later the man was banging the door. " You stupid brat… Let me in freely, and you'll suffer less! Don't make me break this door!"_

_Bryan knew the man was right. It was only a matter of time before the thin door would give in under the furious banging._

_And therefore, he made the bravest decision in his life. Pushing aside the fact that a fall from second-floor might leave him seriously injured, he used all his strength to push the huge window of his room open, and gasped as icy winter-air slapped him across the face. Looking at the fall, he gulped, hesitating, but the sound of the door cracking told him that there was no other choice. Squeezing his eyes tightly shut and praying as hard as he could, he jumped at the exactly same moment as the man got the door broken and a gunshot was heard from downstairs._ /

* * *

" What happened next?" Tshadov asked, slightly more gently than usually as she saw the immense pain in Bryan's eyes. 

It took for a while before Bryan could speak. " I lost consciousness due to the fall, and woke up in the Abbey with a concussion and broken arm." He blinked furiously, fighting away the burning tears. " Voltaire and Boris… told me that my mother was dead, and they would take care of me."

Tshadov nodded. " I see." She kept a short pause. " What was your life like in the Abbey?"

Bryan laughed bitterly. " A hell wouldn't do to describe it." He shivered as all the memories of beatings and pure torture came back to him. " We were trained to be perfect, trained to the point where we almost died of pure exhaustion. And if we failed to meet the Abbey-standards, we faced punishments, more painful and sadistic than any normal human being could possibly imagine."

" Were Mr. Hiwatari, Mr. Ivanov, Miss Petrova and Miss Hiwatari also there?"

He nodded. " Yeah." There was a flash in his eyes. " There was this… personal-trainer-system that Boris Balkov had created. Someone who'd spent for a longer time in that rat-hole was supposed to train the newcomer. Kai – Hiwatari – became my trainer, and – no matter how forbidden it was – a friend. We always helped each other, and despite the horrible punishments, we never hurt one another."

" Then what happened?"

Bryan made a loud gulp, not exactly willing to relive these memories. " When… When Jelena Hiwatari… disappeared… everything changed – including me. I… I think I… got lost somehow." He took a quivering breath. " Kai… He tried to help me… as did Tala, Ian Papov and Spencer Karask… But I just… I didn't have the strength to pull myself back together – not without Jelena." A couple of tears strolled. " Not until Voltaire ordered Spencer and Ian – plus Tala – to be killed."

Tshadov nodded, then looked at the judge. " That was all I had to ask."

" Very well." As Tshadov sat down, the judge looked at Voltaire and Boris' lawyer, Sergei Gregojev. " Mr. Gregojev?"

Gregojev got up, approaching the bench where Bryan was sitting. " Could you tell me about your past with Miss Ivanov?"

Eyes widening, Bryan gave Alissa – who was sitting among the 'audience' – a panicked look. Of course he'd suspected that this question might come up, but… Giving a small smile and nod, Alissa urged him to speak up.

" Mr. Kuznetsov, answer the question", the judge prompted.

The words had to be forced out of this throat. " I met her six years after I'd been taken into the Abbey. Back then she was… very sick, and… I took care of her. Although it was strictly forbidden, we… became attached to each other." He paused for a while, collecting his mangled thoughts. " I didn't know she was Tala Ivanov's sister, but apparently Boris Balkov did. As soon as he found out about our… relationship, he ordered me to kill her. But then…" He paused, looking at Alissa again. Her eyes were filled terror that almost shattered his heart. _Lissa, I'm sorry…_ " He… He changed his mind."

" What for?" As there was no reply, Gregojev kept pressuring on. " If Boris Balkov really is as cruel and sadistic as you claim, why did he order you to spare Miss Ivanov's life?"

The answer that eventually escaped him was almost too silent to be heard. " Because she got pregnant." He gulped. " And the child was his."

Gregojev nodded. " That would be all." Without waiting for the judge's phrases, he turned around and looked at Alissa with gleaming predator's eyes. " Defence would like to call Alissa Ivanov to take a stand."

* * *

" Miss Ivanov, how did you end up getting laid by Boris Balkov if you despise him so much?" Gregojev asked rather harshly as soon as the trembling girl had sat down. 

" Objection!" Tshadov roared, glaring at the lawyer murderously.

" Sustained." The judge also looked at Gregojev rather moodily. " Mr. Gregojev, watch your language."

" Very well." He thought for a while. " Miss Ivanov, how did you… end up into intercourse with Boris Balkov?"

Alissa's eyes immediately filled with pain. " He… he saw me… with Bryan Kuznetsov." It took for a long moment before she could continue, wrapping her arms tightly around herself. " He told me that… that he would kill Bryan unless… I did him a favour." A tear she wiped away angrily made its way to her cheek. " He raped me and beat me up until I was almost dead, _Mr. Gregojev_. That's how I got into intercourse with him. That sleazy bastard raped me."

" Miss Ivanov", the judge stated warningly, though not too sternly. " I must remind you to watch your language."

She gave the judge an apologetic look. " I'm sorry, your honour. I just …"

" Miss Ivanov", Gregojev interrupted her. " What did you do with the baby?"

Alissa's eyes were filled with deep sorrow as she told about the decision that'd been the hardest one in her whole life. " I… I couldn't give birth in the Abbey, God only knows what Voltaire and Boris would've used my child for. So – with Bryan's help – I escaped. I gave birth alone, outside, in the middle of a snowstorm." Tears rolled down her paled cheeks, and she was shivering uncontrollably. " And then… I made the biggest sacrifice in my entire life…"

* * *

/ _Before nurse Lena Vurkovski exited the hospital that freezing-cold winter night, after a double-shift that had seemed endless, she'd thought that nothing could possibly upset her anymore. But when she saw the teenage-girl slumped into snow, leaning against the cold stonewall, she let out a gasp. " Oh my gosh…"_

_The girl was only wearing a light T-shirt and baggy pants, no shoes could be seen covering her feet. She was shivering from cold, obviously suffering from severe hypothermia, and her lips forming soundless words had gone completely blue. At this rate, Lena knew, she would die of cold very soon. Therefore she wasted no time before rushing towards the girl, removing her jacket to cover the girl with it. " Dear child… What on earth are you doing there in the snow?"_

_The words Alissa heard were so silent and muffled that she first thought they weren't for real. But when the gentle-looking woman kneeled before her, shining like an angel in the light coming from behind her, she gasped softly. " Help… us…" It was so hard, almost impossible, to speak when her lips felt thick and numb, but somehow the words came out anyway. _

'_Us'? Lena was just about to ask the girl what she meant, when the quiet whimpering reached her ears. Lowering her gaze, she gave a gasp even louder than the last one when seeing the carefully covered baby in her arms. Arms shivering, the girl held the baby out for her. " Take… her… Please…" It took for a long time before she could speak more. " She's… Pia…"_

_Feeling that there was no other choice, Lena nodded. " Alright." As soon as the baby was safely in her arms, the girl collapsed._ /

* * *

" Giving Pia away was the only way to save her from Boris." Tears she didn't bother to wipe away still rolled over Alissa's cheeks, even harder than before. " It felt like heart had been ripped out of my chest, but… it was my only choice. _Our_ only choice." 

She wished that she could've just ran away, out of everyone's sight. But Gregojev wasn't through with her just yet. " Miss Ivanov, what did you do after you left the Abbey? How did you support yourself?"

Both rage and shame bubbled inside Alissa's veins as she revived the period of time she was anything but proud of. " The same way I did ever since… ever since Voltaire and Boris stole away me and Tala's parents." Her throat was suddenly very tight, and she feared she might throw up. " I… First I lived in these… group-homes, as I was too old to be accepted into any foster-home." She gulped, sucking in a wheezing breath. " Those places… They were horrible – almost as bad as the Abbey – and I just wanted to find Tala… So I ran away." She had hard time fighting away the still threatening nausea. " But I ended up into a dead-end."

The man suddenly pulled out a paper, looking at the judge. " May I?" After gaining the judge's permission, he handed the paper to Alissa. " Could you tell me what this is?"

Alissa's eyes flashed dangerously. " That would be a copy of my criminal-record."

" You've been arrested for over twenty times", Mr. Gregojev read out loud. " Burglaries, robberies, shoplifting, gang-fights, taking part into illegal bey-battles, assaults…"

" Yes." Alissa's voice was a furious hiss, her ice-blue eyes were burning in such a way that it caused shivers to everyone in the room. " I did whatever I had to in order to survive – to protect what there was still left of my family. I stole food and money, broke into peoples' homes in hopes of finding money. I even took part into those freakin' bey-battles after escaping the Abbey and leaving my gang, because they had much more valuable prices than the real battles…"

" Miss Ivanov", Gregojev once again interrupted her. " Would you care to share with us what happened to Alexander Polvoski because of you?"

Alissa's face immediately fell completely pale and she started to shiver, unable to keep all panic inside. Gosh, this was _definitely_ not something she wanted to remember… " He… He lost against me… when we met in illegal bey-battle-cage. I… I was assigned to take away his bit-beast." It was almost impossible for her not to break down completely. " Later… He tried to build up his strength for a revenge, for ripping me to pieces…" A tear scrolled down. " But selling his soul cost him much more than his freedom…"

" Would you care to explain?"

She bravely bit back her tears. " Under Boris' control, he trained to become a top-class blader, one that would be able to crush me – even without a bit-beast. And he almost succeeded." She felt a shiver of repulsion, and squeezed her eyes tightly shut for a while. " But then… he lost against Tyson Granger. And three days after that, his battle against me ended – for good…"

* * *

/ _By the time Alissa entered a small, snowy beyblade-park in Moscow, she'd lost track on how many times sun had crept up since she'd given up on her daughter, how many futile attempts to find Tala she'd made._

' _What should I do?' she asked her bit-beast, heart heavy and filled with despair. ' I… I just don't know what to do… I don't know where to go…'_

' _You won't be able to help anyone else before you've found peace for your own soul, little-one', a familiar, comforting feminine-voice replied her. ' Only he can give you absolution.'_

_She frowned, mystified. ' Who?'_

_And just then, she heard a sound, so quiet she first thought it was a wind. But her instincts quickly kicked in and she ducked, just in time to dodge the beyblade aimed at her head._

_Feeling her heart leap, she squinted her eyes and gave a loud growl while spinning around, prepared to attack just about anything. All fury, however, was quickly replaced by shock. Her eyes widened, and she found herself shivering. " A – Alexander?"_

_The boy – standing beside a nearby hollow tree – gave a hiss. " Damnit… I missed." For a while, he seemed to sway, then suddenly staggered to the white snow, back leaning against the tree. It wasn't until then Alissa realized that he had awful, deep wounds all over his body._

_Her eyes immediately widened with terror. " Oh my God…" Without thinking, she rushed towards him, reaching out a hand. " Are you…?"_

_She never got a chance to finish before he slapped her hand away, growling. " Don't… touch me." His eyes were cold and unforgiving as he glared at her. " This… is your… fault…"_

_She felt like a knife had been plunged straight through her heart, but firmly pushed the thought aside. There was plenty of time for quilt later – now, she had to help Alexander. " Don't be an idiot", she snarled. " You're hurt – we need to get you into a hospital."_

_Almost empty eyes not looking at her, Alexander gave a small, wheezing sound that was probably supposed to be a laughter. " Don't you… get it?" As he met her gaze, she felt pain even harder than the last time. Those eyes… were one's who'd already lost a battle – surrendered. " I'm… dying." Another wheeze, followed by a cough. She inwardly cringed when seeing the blood that tainted his bluish lips. " Too bad… I couldn't… finish you… first…"_

_She vehemently shook her head, still not willing to give in. " No." She graphed his face into between her hands, forcing him to look at her straight into eyes. " I won't let you give up, do you hear me? I won't let you die on me!" I won't let you die because of what I did!_

_Alexander seemed something between amused and bewildered. " One… stubborn girl… you are, huh?" He couched again, and this time there was even more blood. As he desperately tried to breathe, it was easy to see just how hard and painful it was. " Bryan… was right… about you… after all… I suppose…" He made a wheezing chuckle. " Who… knew…"_

_Alissa could just barely hold back tears as she saw the faltering look in Alexander's eyes, felt the boy's skin turn cold under her fingertips. It wouldn't be long until he'd be free… " Alexander…" She gulped thickly. " I… I'm so sorry… Gosh, I'm so sorry, about everything…" Some tears escaped, but she didn't fight against them anymore – the boy deserved them all. " I… I know nothing can make up all I've done, but… Perhaps… Perhaps there's something I can do… for you."_

_Alexander watched with puzzlement and suspicion as she took out her blade. " What the hell…?"_

_She shook her head. " Just watch, 'k? Don't try to talk."_

_With apparent reluctance, the boy complied._

_For a moment, it seemed nothing would happen. Then, so suddenly that it startled them both, Alissa's blade begun to glow, so brightly that it was almost enough to blind them. Despite the pain it definitely caused, Alexander gave a loud gasp as the familiar bit-beast emerged, watching him with flaming, affectionate eyes. " Zanworg…"_

_Smiling despite the tears that rolled, Alissa looked at the boy. The look upon his face told clearly that he was already on his way… " He's free, Alexander", she whispered. " I set him free. That's… That's what I can do for you."_

_First time she'd ever seen him, Alexander gave a genuine, utterly happy smile. " Thank you", he managed to utter, before his eyes slowly slipped closed and he fell limply against the tree. A look of total serenity came to his face._

_And as he sucked in the small, wheezing breath still crying Alissa knew to be his last, Zanworg gave a feral roar of absolute defeat and sorrow._

_The gravity of the situation hitting her, Alissa broke down completely. Shivering violently, she leaned her head against Alexander's painfully still chest, sobbing hysterically._ / (1)

* * *

" Gosh, I… I hurt so many people to keep my loved ones safe." Alissa blinked her glittering eyes. " I'm not proud of any of it, but I didn't have any other choice. And… I've done my time, I've paid for every single one of my crimes." She looked straight into Gregojev's eyes, gaze burning. " But what I do am proud of is that I never, ever sold my soul." 

Gregojev nodded, something strange flashing in his eyes. " Alright." He looked at the judge. " That would be all."

* * *

Outside the courthouse, a short man wearing a toupee stood before a TV-camera, holding a microphone in his hand. " The year's most waited trial has just started in the courthouse behind me", he announced in Russian. " The ones prosecuted – Voltaire Hiwatari, one of the world's wealthiest businessmen, and his employee, Boris Balkov – will be faced by an army of witnesses – including Voltaire's own grandson, a well known beyblader Kai Hiwatari, and Boris' niece Dara Petrova. But will that be enough to send them behind bars? Only time will tell." He had to pause for a while due to the mass of people pushing themselves pass him. " The trial continues tomorrow, as Voltaire's granddaughter Nadja Hiwatari and many other witnesses take a stand. We'll be the first ones to report what they had to say…"

* * *

Inside the BBA-headquarters where all the Russian's had been staying for several months, Alissa stood before a window, shivering furiously, arms wrapped tightly around herself in a protective manner. 

So now the others knew everything – absolutely everything. Everyone else seemed to understand and support her – Tala had even threatened to skin Boris alive – but Ray… After she had told him about the baby, there'd been this… undetectable look in his eyes she'd never seen before. For a while, he'd stood completely frozen, until he'd slowly taken a couple of steps back and walked away.

She could still hear his painful, heart shattering words in her ears.

_" I… I need a moment… to think about this."_

She understood him perfectly, she really did: after all, a baby wasn't exactly a small thing. Besides, in Ray's home-village babies outside a wedlock were strictly forbidden – not to mention teenage-pregnancies. Right now, she represented everything Ray had been raised to despise for all his life.

Suddenly, there was a voice of a door being opened, and her heart leapt all the way to her throat when she recognized the familiar scent of eucalyptus. For several minutes, time seemed to stand absolutely still as she waited for Ray's judgement.

Her poor heart almost stopped beating with shock when a hand was suddenly placed onto her shoulder. How the heck had Ray learned to walk that silently? " Lissa, look at me." It was more of a plead than command, so gentle that her heart filled with desperate hope. Slowly turning around, she found his golden orbs filled with tenderness and affection. " When I told you I would never let go of you, I meant it." He smiled softly, caressing her cheek with his fingertips. " Come what may, I'm with you in this. _Yǒng_."

For a moment she looked into his eyes, debuting, still not quite daring to trust. Finding no hints of hesitance, she took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, putting all her trust on him. Gaze not once leaving her eyes, he returned to gesture without a slightest doubt.

* * *

It was early evening when the confused Bladebreakers, along with Alissa, entered Kai's hospital room. Their confusion only grew when they saw the alarmingly solemn looks upon already present Tala, Bryan, Dara and Nadja's faces. 

" What's up?" Tyson inquired, edge of nervousness in his tone as he didn't know what was to come.

All they knew was that the four had been talking with Kai ever since the trial had ended for the day – which was five hours ago – demanding that the others shouldn't be present. Eventually suspiciously emotional-sounding Tala had phoned them to come over.

The five ex-Abbey-kids shared a look that was a mixture of fear, anxiety, shame and pain, obviously debuting who'd be the one to do the talking. Finally Kai begun to speak, his voice strangely deep and hoarse. " There's something … troubling that might come up during this trial." He composed himself for a while, looking at his hands as he seemed to be too ashamed to look at anyone. " Something I – all five of us – have done."

" What we were forced to do", Tala filled in, something weird in his blue eyes.

A frown crossed Ray's features. " What's going on?"

" Spill it out, will you? You're scaring us", Tyson prompted.

Kai's eyes were tightly shut when he finally found his voice again, the words sounding like they'd came deep from his throat. " It's… It's about the Abbey. You don't know… exactly everything about it yet." He took deep, ragged breaths. " I… I'm not sure… of how to explain this to you guys…"

The others felt cold shivers running down their spines. What the hell was going on? What could possibly be _that_ bad?

" Kai…", Max whispered. " What is this?"

Kai's eyes held this unbelievably devastated far-away look as he still stared at his hands. " You probably already know that we trained to be soldiers, at least now that you saw me and Nadja fight." (2) The boy took another deep, shivering breath to compose himself. " We… we were programmed to a single purpose: to destroy the enemy."

Eyes widened as the others begun to realize. " Oh gosh…"

" We were taught to fight: karate, jujitsu, kick-boxing, everything. And before we were nine, we could use every single weapon there is." Kai's eyes darkened, holding a lost, deeply pained look in them. " Beyblades, that we from early age learned to know and use as deadly weapons…"

* * *

/ _Tears ran down eight-year- old Kai's cheeks as he looked at the girl who'd slumped onto the floor, also crying. Her long, maroon hair were stained with her own blood, and there was a look of utter fear in her widened silvery eyes. " Yasha… I… I don't want to do this…", he whispered in a choked voice._

" _She has suffered too many defeats, the last one against you. She is a worthless weakling, grandson. She isn't worthy of your pity", the stern, merciless voice of Voltaire's stated from not too far away. Looking at the man, he met a pair of dark, emotionless eyes. " Is she really worth of hurting your sister? You do love Nadja, don't you?"_

_Tears no longer rolling, Kai growled like some untamed beast, clenching his fists into furious balls. " You bastard…"_

" _Kai, just do it." Turning his head, he saw Yasha looking at him, eyes filled with such determination that it left no room for objections. " You can't let that monster hurt Nadja, I won't allow you."_

_Kai's eyes widened with horror. " But…"_

" _No buts", Yasha interrupted him. " Do it, or you will never forgive yourself – and neither will I."_

_Tears started rolling again as Kai unwillingly reached out for his blade with a trembling hand. " I… I'm sorry… You have to believe me… Please forgive me…", he begged with child's desperation, sniffing._

_Yasha shook her head, trying to smile though she was crying just as hard. " Not your fault, Kai-senpai. Not ever."_

_Just as Kai was about to prepare his blade, Voltaire spoke. " Not with that, grandson." The man pointed towards Yasha's lavender-coloured blade that laid on the floor. " Use that one."_

_Blinking in disbelief, Kai looked at the man. " W – what?" Could even Voltaire be this sadistic?_

" _Do you want Nadja to suffer?"_

_Slowly, extremely reluctantly, Kai walked up to Yasha's blade and picked it up, unable to look at the girl. Had he seen her face at that moment, he would've fallen apart completely. Steeling himself as much as possible, he returned to the spot he'd been previously standing on and, taking deep breaths and unsuccessfully fighting against tears, begun to prepare his launcher. Much too soon he was ready, and blinked as he saw the tears that fell from his eyes to the shining blade in his shaking hand._

_How can I do this? I… I don't want to…_

_But he had to – for Nadja's sake._

_To no avail he tried to swallow away the huge lump in his throat, and squeezed his eyes tightly shut as he lifted his launcher, aiming at Yasha. He might just be able to follow Voltaire's merciless order, but there was no way he'd be able to look at Yasha's face while doing it. Cold sweat and still flooding tears covered his face as the hold of his even more trembling hands had on the launcher tightened, and he knew that in any minute the destructive blade would be on its way…_

_But just before he launched, deafening sound of a gunshot seemed to make the entire room shutter and his eyes shot open in frighten. Loud gasp escaped him as he saw Yasha laying horrifyingly still on the floor, blood pouring from the gunshot-wound on her head._

_Kai's eyes had a colour of furious lava as he glared at his grandfather, who was just putting away his gun. " Pitiable, grandson", the man told him, beginning to leave the room. " You were too slow. I will make sure Nadja suffers a punishment from your incapability to follow orders." The man was almost out. " Clean up this mess, then come to my office. You will also suffer a punishment." And so he was gone._

_For some moments Kai stood frozen, shaking all over from shock and rage, fists clenched so tightly that nails dug painfully into skin. Eventually he gained back his ability to move and rushed over to Yasha with almost inhuman speed, half landing, half falling to her side. " Yasha!" When she didn't respond in any way, he picked her into his small arms and shook her, first lightly, then firmly, desperately, tears once again rolling. He didn't even notice her blood that stained his clothes. " Yasha, don't do this to me, please! Wake up!" She still didn't respond, and as he looked on he saw that her chest was barely rising and falling. His eyes grew huge and his hold on her tightened, as if it would've forced her to stay alive. " Yasha, NO!" But as he watched helplessly, still crying, she took a one last breath and fell completely limp in his arms._

_He didn't know for how long he'd been crying hysterically with her motionless body in his arms, when he suddenly felt that someone was watching him. Lifting his gaze, he saw Nadja standing at the doorway, her darkened eyes filled with fury, disappointment and sorrow. He opened his mouth to speak, but then realized that no words would do: Nadja wouldn't listen to him. The pain in his heart was almost more than he could take as he watched her spin around and walk away. _

_As soon as she was gone, he threw his head back and screamed at the top of his lungs._ /

* * *

" … kenjo-sticks, swords…"

* * *

/ _Eleven-years-old Kai despised, almost hated Leonardo. Since the arrogant brat with wild, fire-coloured Mohawk and jade-green eyes had been brought into the Abbey, he'd spent all his time trying to please Voltaire and Boris, whatever it took: gossiping about the other Abbey-kids, volunteering to torture-shifts, giving warnings if the police was on their tales. He'd given Kai many scars during their constant fights, and caused deaths of many by telling about the others' plans of escaping and rebelling to Voltaire._

_But still, when Kai fought against the boy, he was almost as afraid of winning as he was of losing. Because he knew that no matter which one would win, the outcome was going to be the same: only another one of them would be spared._

_They were having one of the Abbey's infamous fencing-shows, with all the other Abbey-students watching. And, as the Abbey-rules stated, the one who should lose would be 'put out'._

_Kai hissed in pain when Leonardo's sword made a painful slash to his cheek, cutting blue face-paint. The boy gave an arrogant snort. " Concentration, Hiwatari. That is your problem", Leonardo – who was one year older than he – lectured._

_Kai let no emotions slip to his face. " I would just worry about myself if I were you, Yamaragi."_

_Sparks flew, and some gasps could be heard from the audience as the swords met, giving roars of disapproval. Both boys squinted their eyes as they were suddenly very close to each other, noses almost touching. " Pathetic", Leonardo announced as he pushed Kai's sword further from him and they danced around each other. The boy whispered into his ear. " If you don't bother to fight for your own pitiable life, at least do it for Nadja. You know how much she'll suffer if you lose."_

_That pushed Kai over the edge. His eyes got a colour of deep, almost blood red, and he stroke with such force that it pushed Leonardo backwards. " Leave my sister out of this, you low piece of shit!"_

_Leonardo snorted, striking forward. Sparks rained over them. " Do you think you're somehow better than the rest of us?" The boy was so close that Kai could smell the mint in his breath. " Face it, spoiled brat: you're just as low as we are."_

" _At least I still have my soul", Kai hissed through gritted teeth._

_Adrenaline rushed through Kai's veins as they whirled wildly around each other, striking and dodging so fast that in one blink of an eye many moves would've been missed. _

_It wasn't until then it really hit him, though he'd been in battles like this before: the policy was to kill or to be killed. He couldn't hold back anymore._

_I don't want to do this… _

" _Leonardo… I'm so sorry…", he whispered, looking at his opponent straight into eyes. It was the first – and last – time he ever called the boy by his first name._

_No emotions – no pain, fear, shock or even anger – crossed Leonardo's face as Kai made his strike. There was a thud when Leonardo's sword fell to the floor. For a long moment time seemed to stand still as the two opponents looked at each other straight into eyes, Kai shivering like a leaf, Leonardo pressing his hand against his chest from where blood was draining out like a small river._

_And then time resumed with Leonardo's bitter laughter. " I was right", the boy declared. " You are no better than the rest of us. And sooner or later, even Dara will realize that." With that the boy fell, and never rose again._

_Even though he tried his hardest, Kai couldn't rip his gaze off of Leonardo's motionless body, and he had to use all his willpower to keep tears under control. No matter how little he'd liked the boy, this was far from what he'd wanted. He had never wished Leonardo dead, despite everything the boy had done._

" _Well done, grandson." Kai didn't bother to turn his head towards Voltaire's voice. " Get rid of the body, I will take my grandson into my office. He will receive his… reward."_

_Kai shuddered and blinked his eyes, knowing that this 'reward' would mean nothing but more pain and anguish._ /

* * *

" … guns – all sorts…"

* * *

/ _Even with the blindfold covering his eyes, eleven and half years-old Kai could easily recognize every single part of the gun he was putting together. There was soft click when he was done. " Fifty-five seconds. Slight improvement, I see", Boris announced._

" _Can I remove the blindfold now?"_

" _Not yet", came Voltaire's chillingly familiar voice. " You have improved, but not enough. That is why I want to put you into a little test."_

_Kai felt very cold all of a sudden. " A test?"_

" _You have proven us that you can put together a gun", Voltaire stated. " Now, let's see if you can use it."_

_The blindfold still hadn't been taken off when he was taken into some room where he could smell dried blood, dust and gunpowder. Cold metal made him shiver as a gun was placed into his hand. " Once I take off the blindfold, there will be another armed person with you in this room", Voltaire told him. " What you should know is that only one of you emerges alive."_

_Kai couldn't hold back a gasp. " What!"_

" _I believe you heard me perfectly." A sound of door opening and steps came from the opposite side of the room. " And… here the test begins. Good luck."_

_As the blindfold was removed, he had to gasp again. On the opposite side of the room, also holding a gun, was stood a boy at his age with long-grown indigo-blue hair and strange, bright-green eyes that were widened with shock. The boy's hand holding the gun was trembling slightly. " Ryan?" Kai whispered as the two doors of the room were closed and locked after Voltaire and Boris, who'd brought them in._

" _Kai… I… I'm sorry…", Ryan whispered, lifting his gun. It wasn't hard too see how badly his hands were trembling by then. " But… there's no other choice…"_

_Kai also lifted his gun, doing his best to blink back the threatening tears. " I'll count to three, 'k?"_

_Unable to form words, Ryan simply nodded and squeezed his eyes shut, quivering lips forming inaudible prayers._

_Also closing his eyes, tears spilling to his paling cheeks, Kai started the countdown. " 3…" His hand squeezed the trigger tighter, starting to tremble. " 2…" He took a deep, shivering breath that caught into his throat. " 1."_

_After that, everything was slightly blurry to him. As his hand determinedly squeezed the trigger, there were two gun-blasts that were left lingering into the walls. All of a sudden, he gave a loud scream as he felt hellish pain pierce through his left shoulder, sinking deep into flesh – apparently, Ryan's shivering hadn't allowed him to aim properly._

_Giving a hiss of pain, he sunk to his knees, slowly, slowly opening his eyes. Even though everything was blurry and spinning due to the pain, the horrifying sight still registered to him, and he gave a loud exhale, tears once again falling. " Ryan…"_

_Unfortunately, his aiming had been perfect – small river of blood was running from the vivid gunshot-wound on Ryan's chest as the boy laid terrifyingly still on the floor, eyes closed._

_Before all lights went out for him, Kai gave such a scream of utter desperation that it would've wrenched even the stoniest of hearts. " NO!"_ /

* * *

" … and, of course, Voltaire's favourite, knives."

* * *

/ _Twelve-years-old Kai felt himself shivering violently with both rage and terror as he watched the sharp, long knife Voltaire had placed into his hand. " You… want me to punish him?"_

" _Yes", Voltaire confirmed, disgust-filled eyes looking at the shivering orange-hared boy who was standing nearby, aqua-colored eyes filled with terror. " What Brooklyn did… cannot be tolerated here. He must be reminded of the rules of the Abbey."_

_Kai started to tremble even harder as the wrath inside of him grew immensely. Flame of fury lit into his eyes. " And why do I have to be the one to do the reminding?" he snarled._

" _Because you were the one he tried to kiss", Voltaire replied, a hint of shiver in his voice. " You must show him that freaks aren't tolerated here. That in here, nobody touches what belongs to me – especially someone that low in the hierarchy."_

" _I am not going to hurt him!" Kai's voice was one of outraged beast's, eyes filled with such hatred that it scared even Voltaire. " And for your information, you piece of shit, I do not belong to you."_

_A tiny voice claimed Kai's attention. " K – Kai, obey him, please…" Brooklyn's voice was quivering, aqua-colored eyes filled with such desperation that it tore Kai's heart. " I… I don't want you to get hurt because of me… Please… Do what he says, I'm begging you… I can't lose…" He quickly swallowed down the last word, fearing the consequences._

" _You should listen to him, Kai", Voltaire stated. " You know well happens to Nadja – and you – if you won't obey. Are you really willing to take such a risk for a freak?"_

_It was next to impossible for Kai not to throw the knife straight into Voltaire's chest, but deep down he knew the monster was right. If he wouldn't do this, he'd hurt his sister. And that was a thought he didn't think he'd be able to live with._

_His eyes squinted to slits. " I hate you", he hissed, then slowly, reluctantly, turned towards Brooklyn. No matter how badly Brooklyn's unexpected outburst of affection had scared him earlier that day, his entire soul teemed with indescribable pain for what he had to do. " Brook…"_

_Brooklyn shook his head. " Just get it over with, will you?" The heartbreaking, overwhelming terror in the boy's blue eyes almost brought tears into his eyes. " I… I trust on you… to be fast, 'k?"_

_Swallowing heavily, Kai nodded. "'K."_

_Never in his life had Kai been trembling the way he did as he placed the razor-sharp tip of the knife onto the milky skin of Brooklyn's cheek, ready to cut in. Already then, he was fully aware of what these marks would do to his friend: after this, the other kids would know Brooklyn's most guarded secret, and they'd be merciless with showing just where 'freaks' belonged to in the Abbey. Life… would become a hell for the boy – and just because he'd for once in his life dared to show someone how he felt._

_A couple of tears escaped Kai's eyes, his trembling hand had almost cut into skin. " Gosh, I… I'm so sorry…"_

_Brooklyn simply shook his head, tears glittering in his eyes that were widened with fear. Not saying a word, the boy placed his hand onto Kai's glowed one, helping him. The knife plunged into skin so easily that it almost scared Kai. As blood begun to seep out Brooklyn squeezed his eyes tightly shut, giving a small, pathetic meow of pain. " Damnit…"_

_Unable to look at Brooklyn's pained face any longer, Kai also squeezed his own eyes closed, making the rest of the cuts – three onto each cheek – trying to do it as quickly and painlessly as possible._

_It seemed to take a tireless age before he was finally done. As he slowly opened his eyes, he met Brooklyn's dazed, deeply pained ones. The blood all over the boy's face made his heart shatter._

_Tears stung his eyes, it was almost impossible not to let them spill. " I'm so sorry…"_

_Brooklyn opened his mouth to respond, but was off by Voltaire. " Take that piece of filth into medical ward. My grandson stays here."_

_At that moment, Kai lost all self-control. Not needing a second to think about his aiming, he threw the knife – and it missed Voltaire by less than an inch. Voltaire's eyes were filled with something Kai had never seen in them before as the man turned his head and looked at him. " You missed, grandson."_

_Kai shook his head, blood-red eyes burning. At the moment, he didn't give a damn about the punishment he would surely receive. " No, I didn't." His voice was shivering with rage. " The only reason you are still alive is that I don't want to sink down to your level." His eyes squinted to slits once again, and he squeezed his fists into tight balls. The next words were spoken through gritted teeth. " Make me hurt a friend ever again, and the next one is aimed at your throat."_

_Voltaire's eyes flashed. " You'll regret that dearly." He looked at one of the guards. " Give me a knife, I'll mark his cheeks myself."_

_As from that day, Voltaire never dared to be left alone with Kai again. And one week later, he took Kai out of the Abbey, with all the boy's memories erased._ / (3)

* * *

Those memories made Kai shiver violently. " From the very first day, it was made perfectly clear to us that emotions didn't belong into the Abbey. We were taught to show no mercy towards the enemy. And…" Kai trailed off, it seemed to be almost impossible for the young Russian to keep talking. " We… we were programmed to kill. We've been fully trained murderers ever since we were eight … Since we were so young…." He exhaled a deep, ragged breath, some tears spilling, still too ashamed to look at the others. " That's… That's what I've been having nightmares of… Of all those people I've…" He couldn't bring himself to finish. 

There was a long, thick silence of disbelief. " Oh man…", that came from Max finally cut it.

" That's just…" Tyson blinked his stinging eyes, unable to find a word harsh enough. " You were… just kids! How could they!"

Kai finally opened his eyes and, with what seemed to require all his strength and willpower, turned his head to look at his friends. His burgundy eyes were filled with self-hatred and shame, pain that seemed to be rooted into the deepest corner of his heart. " I can barely look at myself from a mirror, so… I understand if…."

" How dense are you?" Tyson cut in, blue eyes flashing. He looked at all the former Abbey-kids, eyes filled with anything but disgust and hatred. " Look, it was a hell you all had to go through, I… I can't even begin to imagine it." His eyes turned soft. " How could you ever think we'd hate you for this? You were _forced to_ do such things… What kind of people would we be to hate you for something that isn't even your fault?"

" That's right", Ray joined in, amber eyes burning. " Don't you still get it, after all that's happened? We're your friends, Kai. What's in your past isn't going to make us move from your side. We'll always be there for you, no matter what." He looked at the rest of the group of five. " And the same goes with all of you, for that matter."

" Yeah!" Kenny added, voice more determined and confident than they'd ever heard it, leaving no doubt that he was ready to face any possible opponent. This took everyone by surprise: never before had they seen him filled with such enthusiasm and courage. It was probable that Emily had something to do with it…" We'll put those monsters locked up, Kai! And we'll do it together!"

* * *

As Bryan got into his room in the BBA-headquarters, he immediately sensed something being wrong. Deep frown upon his face, he switched on the lights – and instantly gave a gasp, eyes widening. " Impossible…" 

Carefully placed into a beautiful vase on a table were gorgeous, shining lilies.

Bryan immediately started to shiver as the memories flooded into his mind.

The day he'd first met her, lilies had been blossoming…

When he'd first learned that there were feelings beyond friendship, he'd given her a single lily…

And the night before he'd last seen her, she'd left one lily onto his pillow, along with a note that held just one word in Russian…

_Navsegda._

And from that day forward, to Bryan lily had been a sign of promise no earthly boundaries could shatter…

Bryan could hardly breathe as he stared at the flowers, feelings of utter disbelief and shock going through him. " Jelena…"

Unbeknownst to him, a girl with ginger-dyed hair just left the building, a small bittersweet smile upon her face. For a one more time she glanced at the window she knew to be his.

_Soon, Bryan_, she mentally promised.

Inside his room, Bryan all of a sudden found himself smiling.

* * *

Meanwhile in a small village in China, a woman with mahogany hair on a neat plait finally finished with packing up her suitcase, stern look in her piercing amber eyes. 

" Will you bring him back, Sayuki?" a harsh bass-voice of her husband's asked.

Her eyes flashed. " Yes."

" He's our son", the man, stood by the doorway, continued, anger and disgust evident in his tone. " I won't let him bring any more disgrace on our family than he already has."

" Jiang, I know what I'm doing!" she growled, giving the man a glare. " Ray knows his responsibilities perfectly – especially after I've… given him a reminder." Flame of determination lit into her eyes. " I won't come back from Japan alone."

Jiang's eyes flashed. " I sincerely hope you're right." As he turned around, his long, raven plait billowed after him. " Because if he'll choose that… thing instead of his family… he will be disowned."

As Jiang closed the door after him, Sayuki's eyes squinted.

_I won't let you make another wrong decision, Ray-san_, she mentally vowed. _Whatever it takes, I will show you where you truly belong. I won't lose another son – especially not because of someone like her._

* * *

In his new prison, Voltaire dialled the numbers, looking around as well as he could without drawing suspicion. He didn't have much time. The one he was calling had better answer quickly… 

As the man did. " _Hello?_" a croaky, sleepy voice muttered.

" It's me", he stated harshly. " Valdo, I need you to do me a favour."

That sure as hell woke the man up. " _W – what…? How…?_" There was a pause. " _What do you need?_"

He smiled coldly. He'd always known this man was reliable. " I need you to get rid of that annoying grandson of mine." His eyes darkened. " For good."

* * *

TBC.

* * *

A/N: Geez, almost thirteen pages, and the chapter is finally done! (Takes a deep breath and slumps down, wiping sweat off of forehead.) A lot of stuff happened, huh? Bet you didn't see that Alissa's baby coming! (smirks evilly) And gosh, it almost made me sick to write all those horrible scenes from the Abbey. 

Uh-huh, so much still going on… What will happen when it comes to Alissa and Pia – will she get her daughter back? And what about Alissa and Ray – is Ray's mom going to persuade him into returning to China? What about Voltaire's revenge?

The countdown begins, folks! Only three chapters to go! Please, stay tuned, and PLEASE **PLEASE REVIEW**!

See you next time!

(Oh, yeah, just one more thing… As I know there are probably several of you who don't speak these languages… Both yǒng and navsegda mean 'forever', former in Chinese, latter in Russian.)

Or no, wait! **IMPORTANT**: As this story approaches its end, I'm starting to think about the ending. What do you guys think? Should I give you an open ending that leaves you guessing a bit, or should I give a clean-cut ending – be it sad or happy? It's your choice!

(In here, I have to announce that I won't be able to make a sequel: my life is so crazy right now that I barely manage to keep this one rolling! So – as much as it stinks – when the story ends, it'll be left there. (sigh) I suppose I've been delaying saying this for too long – I'm retiring. (sniff) It seriously sucks not to get to write to you guys anymore, but I afraid I have no other choice.)

(1) Just in case you're wondering, yes. Boris and Voltaire indeed killed Alexander after his defeat against Tyson.

(2) Remember, guys? In chapter six.

(3) Yeah, yeah, I know, yet another "season three alternative universe" – thing. It seems I'm obsessed with these. Bear with me, please? (Btw, I hope you don't hate me for making Brooklyn gay. I just… couldn't resist the temptation.) (smirks)


	33. Ties that bind

A/N: Hi again! It was HARD work, but the new chapter is finally pulled together! (sighs with relief)

Hold your horses, you'll get to read it soon, but first…

Once again, thank you from the bits of my heart for those amazing reviews! I wonder if you guys have a clue of how much they're cherished. HUUGS! (**kaiROXmyWorld**, great to have you back! Missed ya!) (And **Lady Of The Damned Land**, no worries! It's ALWAYS better late than never!) (grins)

(If I forgot someone who's made a comeback after a longer 'disappearance' here, please pardon me! It's not that I wouldn't consider you valuable, hell no – I just have a very, very crappy memory!)

Oh, yes… I thought some of you might wonder those 'Abbey-memories'… I figured I'd have to write them in. First of all, the quilt and hiding was killing Kai – he would've crushed under the secret's weight if hadn't gotten it out. (Poetic, ne?) (grins) Plus Voltaire most certainly told about the 'butchering' to his lawyer Gregojev, and such a sleazy bastard DEFINITELY won't hesitate using it against the poor teens, as you'll see… (And in case you wondered… Only the gang was present when it was all revealed – no lawyers, not even Mr. D.)

Okay, okay, here we go! Chapter 33, dear readers! Hope u like.

* * *

CHAPTER 33: Ties that bind 

It was still rather early in the morning as Ray entered a small orphanage. His sensitive ears immediately caught the sound of a familiar voice. " Oh sweetie… For how long has this been going on?"

There was a sniff, after which a small female-voice spoke. " F – four months…" Another sniff, this time much louder. " _Mami_, when am I going to get away from here? With you?"

The older female gave a deep sigh. " I don't know, _chica_. But I promise you, I'll do everything I can to make it happen soon."

As Ray stepped into a small, rather shadowy room, he immediately blinked in total stun. Of course he'd known that children tend to look like their parents, but…

The small, about four-years-old girl had huge mahogany eyes, plus long, extremely familiar fiercely red hair, currently tied onto a dishevelled plait. Everything about her entire spirit screamed out her heritage.

Ray winced and felt his heart break when seeing that another one of her eyes was red and swollen for the nasty shiner it'd received, and a deep cut ran through her other cheek. He strongly suspected the rest of her wasn't any better. " Oh man…"

It wasn't until then Alissa – who'd been cleaning up her daughter's wounds – seemed to notice him. Her ice-blue eyes immediately widened. " R – Ray?" She swallowed thickly. " What… are you doing here?"

He smiled. " I just… wanted to see you two." He then looked at the small girl, who was looking back at him with deep suspicion and some fright. " Hi. You must be Pia."

She blinked in surprise. " How did you know?"

Smiling, Alissa looked at him, eyes shining with relief and gratitude. " Ray… is a very, very good friend", she explained. " I have a feeling that you'll be seeing him quite a lot from now on."

The girl nodded, then looked at Ray, eyes shining despite the horrifying pain her wounds probably caused. " Do you blade, too?"

Smirking, Ray nodded. " Yeah. I'm in this team called the Bladebreakers."

This definitely impressed Pia. " Wow…"

Ray was about to continue, when a rather mean-looking woman with greyish hair and sharp, almost black eyes suddenly entered the room. " Time's up, Miss. Ivanov. I'll take Pia into the health centre now."

The child's smile quickly faded, and tears came to her almost desperate eyes as she looked at her mother. " Do I have to go?"

Alissa herself seemed to be on the verge of tears as she gently stroked her daughter's hair. " I afraid you do. The doctor's going to take a look at your hand, and give you something for the pain."

Tears escaped Pia's eyes. " When will you come again?"

At that point, Alissa couldn't keep herself from crying as she closed her daughter into a tender embrace. " I'll come back sooner than you know, I promise you", she whispered, stroking the sobbing child's hair. " Everything's going to be alright."

" It's time to go now", the elder woman announced harshly.

Extreme reluctance in her eyes, Alissa let go of her daughter, and watched helplessly as the woman roughly graphed the child. " I love you, _mami_", still crying Pia sniffed.

Alissa had to swallow and take a deep breath before she could speak. " Love you too, _chica_." She blew her a kiss. " I'll see you soon, 'k?"

The child gave a faint nod, after which she was gone. With her away, Alissa broke down into hysterical sobs and buried her face into her hands, giving a loud list of curses in Russian. Ray hesitated for a longest time before he finally walked up to her and wrapped his arms tightly around her. She immediately cling to him as though he'd been her soul lifeline.

It took for a long time before Ray broke the silence. " Did the other kids do that to her?"

Alissa nodded, face buried into his chest. " Y – yeah… They… they know Boris is her father, that she has roots in the Abbey, so…", she murmured, voice filled with bitter hatred, and shook her head. " They're merciless." She sniffed. " I… I think they broke her arm…"

Ray nodded, swallowing down threatening tears.

_How much more does that kid have to go through?_

" Everything will turn out okay", he whispered, stroking Alissa's hair the same way she had her daughter's. " You will get Pia's custody back soon, you'll see. This'll all be over."

Alissa gave a deep, teary sigh. " Gosh, I truly hope so!" She sniffed. " Because… I never want to say bye to my daughter again. Not ever."

* * *

Two hours later, the whole gang was hanging in the garden behind the hospital, which was the furthest Dr. Hendez had allowed Kai to go. First time since the beginning of the trial the mood was joyful and laid back as they enjoyed the beautiful, warm day of late summer. Kai seemed happier and more relaxed than he'd been since the beginning of this nightmare while he was practising blading with Dara and Dimitrei. 

This was the first time Kai had allowed the kid to visit him: he hadn't wanted the boy to see him inside the depressing hospital room of psychiatric ward, not to mention in the mental state he'd been in. Although he was still forced to use crutches, he now seemed at least a bit more close to normal despite paleness and fatigue.

Watching the practising trio, the others merely chilled sitting around a table, relived that Kai was for once giving them some slack from training. " Tala, you've been polishing that blade of yours for an hour straight", Tyson noted, cutting the silence that had lasted for quite some time. " I think the paint's gonna fall off soon."

Tala gave a sneer, revealing his row of flawless, white teeth. " You know, if you'd spent some time fixing yours, you'd have at least a slight chance against our team."

Tyson arched an eyebrow. " Is that a challenge, wolfie?"

Watching Dimitrei launch his forest-green blade perfectly, Kai smirked. " I wouldn't toy with him, Ty. He might actually accept your silly little bragging."

" I wouldn't mind", Nadja noted, grinning cunningly. " Now that I'm one of the Demolition Boys, I want to face you in a battle one day, big brother."

Kai returned the grin with one exactly same kind. " I can hardly wait."

There was a brief silence. " You know what?" Bryan suddenly stated. " We can't be Demolition Boys anymore if there's a girl in the team."

Everyone blinked at the pure logic. " True", Kenny remarked.

" Have you guys figured out another name?" Max asked, taking a sip of his hot chocolate.

First time they'd ever seen him, Tala gave a pure, true smile of happiness, secretly squeezing Nadja's hand under the table. " I'm sure it'll work out." _Just like everything else._ The smile, however, vanished with a nervous gulp as he saw the quick, suspicious look Kai gave him while once again launching his blade. _Oh crap…_ It seemed there was a 'small' thing he'd blissfully forgotten: sooner or later, he'd have to tell his girlfriend's big brother about their… bondage. Kai definitely wasn't an idiot – he'd figure it all out very soon. And that day, of that he was sure, Tala Ivanov was a dead man.

Luckily, Ray's voice cut his flood of thoughts. " Lissa, you ok?"

It wasn't until then he noticed that there was something wrong with his sister, who was currently sitting beside Ray, sipping herbal tea. There was a frown upon her strained face that made him frown as well.

" Yeah, I just… I was thinking about Pia." She took a deep breath, eyes flashing with pain. " Gosh, I want her back so badly! She's already lived for four years in that rat-hole, and those kids are torturing her. She deserves to have a home, a proper family." She sighed, the pain in her eyes growing. " I just… I don't know if I'll get her back, after all this time… I don't know if they'll think I'm a fit mom for her. I wouldn't blame them if they said I'm not."

" Don't worry", Ray whispered and took her hand, doing his best to ignore Tala's rather unnerving presence. " A mother's job is to protect her child from all harm, right? You only gave up on her, because it was the only way to keep her safe. And if the judge wouldn't see how much you and Pia love each other, he'd be blind or a fool." He smiled. " Besides, I'll be right by your side, every step in the way."

" We all will", Tala announced sternly. " They'll have no other choice but to accept that you're a good mother who only thought about what was best for her child. We'll get her out of that hell."

Bryan smirked. " Someone seems to be excited about being an uncle", he teased, receiving a venomous glare.

Tremendous release shone from Alissa's strained eyes. " You guys…" She didn't quite know what to say. " Thanks." A comfortable silence fell.

Watching the way Dara handled her blade while teaching Dimitrei with Kai, Tyson suddenly grinned, getting an idea. " Hey Dara, if you don't have any other plans after this trial-crap is over with… 'You wanna join our crazy little team?" After all, despite his suspicions, he'd have to make a proper peace with the girl sooner or later – for Kai's sake. " I know these guys can be real bozos sometimes, but…"

Kai gave the bluenette a look of deep relief and amusement. " Are _you_ seriously calling _us_ bozos?"

Dara's eyes seemed to flash while she gently cut the training-session. No matter how well Kai hid it, she could tell Dimitrei – although the sweetest kid in the entire world – was tiring the still recovering boy out. " Thanks Tyson, but after the Abbey and all… I don't want to be a professional blader." She was obviously about to say something more, but changed her mind. " But for now, I'm going to teach children blading." She smiled to Dimitrei. " And you will be my very first student."

Dimitrei's eyes shone. " Really?"

Her smile widened. " Really."

For some more moments the gang talked in peace and quiet. But all joy faded when Mr. Dickinson and Shelly Tshadov emerged through the doors leading to the garden. It was time to head towards the courthouse – again.

Everyone tensed when seeing Dr. Hendez coming out right behind them. In the middle of all the trial-hassle, they'd totally forgotten that this was the day when Kai would undergo the surgery where the cyber implants would finally be removed.

" I afraid it's time to prepare you for the surgery", Dr. Hendez announced, eyes filled with something between sadness, excitement and nervousness.

Dimitrei immediately frowned, not liking the alarmingly familiar word a tiniest bit. His eyes were filled with deep worry and fright as he looked at Kai. " Surgery?" In the Abbey, that word had never meant anything good.

Despite the fatigue and arising nervousness, Kai smiled reassuringly. " It's okay, Dimi", he convinced. " It's just a small operation."

The child seemed slightly relieved, but definitely not fully convinced. " Will it make you feel better?"

Kai blinked in surprise at the unexpected question, then nodded, smiling. " Yeah, it will." _I hope._

Dimitrei smiled as well. " Good, then."

Also smiling, Dr. Hendez walked up to them. " Okay, little-fellow. I'm sorry, but I'm gonna have to snatch Kai now." She looked at the others. " Good luck to all of you. Take those freaks down, 'k?"

For a moment, it was a chaos as everyone said bye to Kai and wished him luck (getting back deeply worried orders to be ware), and Mr. D basically had to drag crying Dimitrei away. After all that had happened, the child was terrified that once taken away like this, Kai might never come back.

When no one else was looking, Dara gently brushed Kai's hand, signalling him that it'd be alright. He returned the gesture and looked at her straight into eyes, gaze begging her to be safe.

After that, Dr. Hendez took Kai away.

For a moment it was silent as everyone sunk into their thoughts, until Tshadov spoke. " Alright, folks. I think it's time for us to go as well."

Bryan sighed. " Yippee… Here we go again…"

* * *

As the trial continued, Ray was the first one to take a stand. His heart was pounding so hard that it almost jumped out of his chest. 

" Mr. Kon, could you tell me what happened the night Miss Hiwatari appeared and you all ended up into that warehouse?" Tshadov asked.

Ray seemed to shutter a bit. " That night I and Alissa Ivanov were visiting Tala Ivanov in the hospital. He revealed us everything about Voltaire Hiwatari's plans to get Kai Hiwatari back into the Abbey again. He also told us about Nadja Hiwatari, and begged us to keep her and Kai from getting hurt." He had to pause as the memories made cold shivers run down his spine. " When I and Alissa got to the warehouse, we… we heard a gunshot, and knew that something was badly wrong. Just then two of Voltaire's men came and dragged us to the main-hall."

" What happened next?" (1)

* * *

/ _Ray's eyes widened as he was dragged into the hall where the others were, and the horrible sight presented itself to him. Beside him Alissa gasped loudly._

_First time Ray ever saw him, Tala was crying as the young Russian was holding limp Nadja tightly in his arms, shivering uncontrollably and whispering something in Russian. Forcing his gaze away from the horrifying sight, Ray saw that Dara was crying silently, holding her hand to cover her mouth, and the others stared in shock._

_Voltaire, who was holding a still smoking gun in his hand, showed no emotions as he tightly held Kai in place while the crying boy struggled desperately to get to his sister. " Let… me… go… you bastard!" Kai screamed. " Nadja!" His voice was filled with frantic, utter heartbreak._

" _So, grandson… Do you now understand the price of disloyalty?" Voltaire inquired, calmly as ever._

_No one had ever seen such hatred and fire in Kai's eyes they held as he slowly turned his gaze, glaring at his grandfather into eyes. " I hate you", he hissed lowly, eyes squinting to slits. " And I swear to you, I will kill you for this, so slowly and painfully that even your sick mind could never imagine anything like it."_

_Voltaire smiled coldly. " We'll see about that, grandson." He then looked at his men. " Prepare Tala and Dara for leaving, tie up the others."_

_Ray could see Kai's eyes widen, and the boy's lips moved in soundless 'no'. That moment, seeing Kai's terror, Ray felt his blood run cold as he realized what Voltaire was about to do._

_That freak wasn't going to let them out alive._

_He tried to fight back with all he got as the man who'd held him started to wrap tight ties around his wrists, but he didn't have the strength it required._

_While injections were plunged painfully into struggling Tala and Dara's necks, Kai did everything he possibly could to break free as Voltaire pulled out a needle. " Stop struggling", the man ordered him. " This will only hurt more if you keep fighting back."_

" _Leave my friends alone, you asshole! They have nothing to do with this! They're innocent!" Kai yelled as the needle eventually punctured his skin. " I'll do anything, just… Please … Don't hurt them…I'm begging you…" Kai's eyes begun to droop heavily, the drug Voltaire had given him was obviously kicking in._

_Smiling coldly, Voltaire caught Kai into his arms as the boy's knees gave way. " I afraid it's much too late for that, grandson." Voltaire brushed Kai's cheek gently with his one hand, smirking as the boy shivered with disgust. " Now sleep, and know that when you wake up, all your friends are dead – thanks to you."_

" _No…"_

_While the others had been tying the struggling group, some of Voltaire's men had been spreading gasoline all over the place. Others – especially Tyson – begun to scream in protest, and Ray's eyes grew huge as he watched Voltaire light up a cigarette-lighter. " Oh no… Don't…", he whispered, so quietly that even Alissa beside him couldn't hear._

_But no words could stop what was happening._

_As Voltaire let the cigarette-lighter fall, one last, heart-wrenching scream left Kai's mouth before the boy fell unconscious. " NO!"_

_The fire spread with terrifying speed, and as the tied-up teenagers desperately screamed for help Voltaire gently cradled Kai into his arms, beginning to walk towards the exit. " Come", he ordered his men, ignoring the teenagers' screams of terror. " Our work here has been done."_ /

* * *

" It's a miracle that we made it", Ray begun to finish the story. " Fortunately, Nadja wasn't dead. When she woke up, she opened our ties and we escaped in the last minute." 

Tshadov nodded, smiling. " Alright." Her eyes moved to the judge. " That would be all."

" Very well." The judge looked at the defensive lawyer. " Mr. Gregojev?"

The lawyer got up. " Mr. Kon", the man begun slowly. " Explain to me, with your own words, what happened during you latest bey-battle with Mr. Kuznetsov."

Ray's eyes widened. Why did this have to be pulled up now, after all this time? Flashes of that horrible battle filled his mind.

/ _The piece of metal hitting him, making a searing pain flood through him._ /

He looked at Bryan apologetically, the boy replied with a reassuring nod. " He… he was under Voltaire and Boris' orders…"

/ _The wicked wind tormenting him, making slashes and cuts, agony filling his entire body._ /

Ray gulped. " We fought furiously, and I ended up into a hospital."

" Mr. Kon", Gregojev prompted. " Mr. Kuznetsov almost killed you. True or not?"

/ _Driger shielding him from Bryan's horrifying attack, he falling to the floor, utterly exhausted._ /

It took for a long, long time before Ray could answer. And when he did, it was a thin whisper through gritted teeth. " True."

Gregojev's eyes shone with triumph. " Do you know that your life wouldn't have been the first one he's taken?" The man came closer, almost like trying to encircle him. " Do you know that they all – Mr. Kuznetsov, Miss Petrova, Miss Hiwatari, and even your dear friend Mr. Hiwatari – are nothing but cold-blooded murderers?"

At that point, Ray couldn't hold back his rage anymore. His eyes squinted, and teeth made a screeching sound as he bit them together. " They are _not_ murderers, Mr. Gregojev", he growled like a jungle-cat. " They've all suffered a hell because of all the shit Voltaire and Boris put them through! I couldn't have imagined any of those twisted things even in my worst nightmares. All the pain and quilt they've been carrying for things they aren't even responsible for… Kai almost ended up killing himself because of them!" His eyes were filled with undying disgust and rage as he glared at the two monsters. " Those freaks slaughtered tens of people, all my friends and me were almost among them. And all the other things they did – rapes and torture…" His eyes squinted, his heart pounded furiously against ribcage, about to burst. " _Voltaire and Boris_ are the only cold-blooded murderers here. If you ask me, a death-sentence would let them too easily."

Gregojev nodded, a flood of emotions flashing in his eyes. " No further questions, you honour."

* * *

" Mr. Dickinson, I understood you were one of the first ones to enter the Abbey after Voltaire Hiwatari and Boris Balkov had burned it down?" prosecutor Tshadov stated. 

The old man nodded, deep pain flashing in his eyes. " That's right."

" What did you see?"

Tears were so close that Mr. D had to blink furiously to keep them from falling. " A hell."

* * *

/ _The air was thick with stomach-turning scent of smoke, blood and burned flesh as Mr. Dickinson entered the little there was left of the Abbey. Pieces of scorched wood laid all around him – along with bodies, most of them burned beyond recognizition. Somewhere ahead of him a medic covered yet another child's corps with a blanket, and two more medics soundlessly tried to revive a about ten-years-old girl, who – judging by the way her entire body was burned – wouldn't live for long._

A splatter could be heard as his foot hit a pool of water, left by the firefighters who'd desperately tried to save the cursed place. But otherwise it was dead-silent: no one dared to speak in the place everyone present easily believed haunted. Only furious wind could be heard in the corners, sounding outraged for the cruel fates of the place's inhabitants.

_All of a sudden, Mr. D stopped walking, as he saw something that almost made his insides turn upside down. Only few steps away, a group of paramedics were bagging two bodies he knew all too well. It was almost impossible not to throw up as tears strolled. " Oh God… Spencer and Ian…"_

" _Mr. Dickinson?" suddenly came a female-voice from behind him._

_Turning around, he met Judy Tate's strained face. Tear-strands could be seen upon her pale, stained cheeks. He quickly wiped away the tears that had sneaked to his own paled cheeks. " Hey. What are you doing here?"_

_She gave a deep sigh, running a hand through her disheveled blond hair. " I… Max called me, and…" Pain flashed in her eyes as she looked at the destruction around her. " I just had to come."_

_He nodded, understanding. For any loving mother, the idea of all these kids in a hell like this…_

_Shaking the thought away, he remembered why he'd came. He had to look away as Spencer and Ian's bodies were carried away. Had he looked, he would've broken down completely, and now… wasn't the time for such a thing. " I heard something… important has been found."_

_Something he'd never seen before – a mixture of terror and intense sorrow – flashed in Judy's blue eyes. " Y – yeah." She gulped thickly, obviously not having a clue of how set her words. " Mr. Di… Stanley… We… We found something… from the most damaged part of the Abbey." Hands trembling and eyes shining with tears that didn't want to be held back, she handed him a plastic bag. " Gosh, I… I'm so sorry…"_

_And at that moment, seeing the contents, he couldn't hold himself together anymore. The rest of the world disappeared from around him._

_All Judy could do was watch when the elder squeezed his eyes tightly shut and covered his eyes with one hand, as the other pressed the bag desperately against his chest. Both hands – as the entire man – were trembling so badly that she feared he might crumple to the ground._

_The plastic bag held Kai's wrist band – along with two of his teeth._

_Solid evidence that the young Phoenix had disappeared along with this hellish place – forever._ / (2)

* * *

Mr. Dickinson could barely suppress his tears as he relived the horrifying day. " That day, I… I thought he was gone… Like all those other kids…" He shook his head, still unable to realize that all the horrors around him had been for real. " All those… All those kids… They'd been executed, burned up alive… Spencer, Ian and so many others…" 

Seeing that he was on the verge of a breakdown, Tshadov chose to move on. She pulled out a small piece of paper. " May I?" As the judge nodded, she walked up to Mr. D and gently gave the paper to him. " Could you tell me what this is?"

Pain flashed in his eyes. " It's… It's a letter… from Aleksei Hiwatari, Kai's father." He swallowed laboriously. " He sent it to me… just before he died."

Anxious words from the letter echoed in his ears.

_I'm sure you don't know me, for I wouldn't know you either if it wasn't for my mother, Ida Leontjev_.

" Who was Ida Leontjev?"

A couple of tears Mr. D didn't even notice escaped. " Voltaire's wife…" Chills of flaming longing ran down his spine as he recalled all the secret looks, touches and kisses – and the one forbidden night that had changed everything… " The only woman I've ever loved." (3)

Gasps could be heard from the Blabreakers' and their friends' direction, as they begun to realize.

Tshadov nodded. " I understood – judging by the letter – that Voltaire Hiwatari killed her."

His eyes flashed with fury no words could describe as he glared at serene Voltaire sitting on a bench not too far away. " Yes", he hissed. " That's Voltaire's nature – he destroys everything he can't control and posses."

" Is that what happened to Aleksei Hiwatari as well?"

_All my hope lies on you now._

Once again, tears glimmered in his eyes. He gave a small, barely visible nod. " I… I tried to save him…" He shook his head, one tear escaping. " But… I was too late… When I came – with the police – Aleksei and his wife, Miyami, were already gone. Voltaire had taken Kai and Nadja."

_Please, help us, for the sake of two innocent children. If for no other reason, then for the sake of my mother's memory._

Immense grief filled his eyes. " I… I failed." He closed his eyes in pain. " I couldn't… protect my own son."

Seeing that there was no way she could pressure him any further, Tshadov simply nodded. " That would be all."

* * *

In the meantime, furiously shivering Kai was laying on a uncomfortable bed in the OR, oxygen mask placed onto his paled face. _Please, let this be over fast…_

This was almost too much for him to handle. The stinging white colour, the smell, the doctors and nurses hovering over him… This was just far too much like the medical room in the Abbey. It was almost impossible not to go into a total panic-attack. His entire body was shivering as he took deep breaths, desperately trying to convince himself that everything was okay, that these people wouldn't hurt him.

" Alright, Kai", Dr. Hendez's voice cut through his panicked thoughts. He could only see the woman's eyes from the mask she was wearing. " I want you to count backwards from ten."

He nodded. " 10… 9…" His eyelids started to feel heavy. " 8… 7…" His eyes fluttered closed, unwilling to stay open. " 6… 5…" Everything faded to white blur.

* * *

After a short brake, it was Nadja's turn to witness against the two monsters that had turned her against one of the few people who truly cared about her. 

" Miss Hiwatari, how did you end up into Voltaire Hiwatari's care?" Tshadov asked.

Nadja's eyes flashed with hatred as she looked at Voltaire, sitting so close that it sickened her. " My parents were murdered." She found herself shivering with almost uncontrollable rage. " Voltaire took me with him that night, and told me that their death was my brother's fault."

" And after that, you grew up in the Abbey?"

She nodded. " But I wasn't treated like the others, no matter how much I asked for it. I was in Voltaire Hiwatari's 'special care', as he put it. I was… harmed sometimes, but never directly by him. He always told me that… that it was Kai's fault, just like all the other horrible things happening around me. From the beginning, I… I was taught to hate my own brother." She paused for a while, eyes flashing, and sighed. " Though I couldn't stand the way Voltaire treated other people, I still respected him. After all, I thought he was looking after me because he cared about me. And… He was all I got. That's why I felt this… duty to obey him and work for him." Hatred flashed in her eyes again. " Much later I found out that the only reason Voltaire took care of me was that he blackmailed Kai with my wellbeing."

Tshadov nodded, then continued. " Tell me about Ivan Hiwatari."

It was suddenly very hard for Nadja to hold back tears, and she had to blink furiously. " He… He was Voltaire's son." She drew in a shuttering breath. " We were very close, shared every thought, cried and laughed together. Aside Tala – Ivanov – he was my best friend there." She squeezed her eyes tightly shut, and wiped away the few tears that rolled. " But one day, he made a mistake that cost him his life: he tried to help Kai break away from the Abbey. Voltaire… had him killed. Had his own son killed." She had to gather herself for a long time before she could continue. " And with Voltaire brainwashing me, I… I blamed Kai for that." Tears almost spilled, but she managed to blink them away. " People… People I cared about… were all ripped away from me: my parents, my friends, almost even Tala… And every single time, I blamed Kai for it."

Tshadov gave her a moment to collect herself. " You mentioned you had a close relationship with Mr. Ivanov."

Nadja nodded. " Yes." There was a slight hint of embarrassment upon her face. " We became… very close, although it annoyed me that he always tried to defend Kai. I was too blinded by my respect towards Voltaire to see that Tala was only trying to tell me the truth." Her eyes darkened again as memories that were far less pleasant came to her mind. " But apparently, he tried to tell me the truth too persistently, for Voltaire ordered Boris – Balkov – to kill him." By then, she was shivering from hatred. " Boris beat Tala to near death, and threw him into a icy river. Tala almost drowned. I thought he was dead, and – again – blamed my brother." She had to use all her might to regain her composure. " I didn't see the truth about Voltaire until he almost killed me."

Tshadov nodded, smiling encouragingly. " Alright." She looked towards the judge. " No further questions, your honour."

" Very well." The judge turned her gaze towards Voltaire and Boris' lawyer. " Mr. Gregojev?"

" I have only a couple of questions, your honour", the man announced, then gazed at Nadja, look of a predator in his eyes. " Is it true or not that you almost killed Kai Hiwatari when Voltaire assigned you to fetch your brother to him?" As there was no reply from the evidently shocked girl, the man continued. " Miss Hiwatari, answer the question, and remember that you are under the oath."

Tears were glimmering in Nadja's eyes as she bowed her head in shame, a sad, deeply pained look in her eyes. " I… I thought… Voltaire told me that… that Tala… was dead… That he'd been killed… because of Kai…" She shook her head. " I… I couldn't think…"

" Miss Hiwatari." Gregojev sounded deeply annoyed. " You had every intention to kill Kai Hiwatari when you entered the hotel room he and his team were staying in. True or not?"

" Yes. It's true!" she shrieked. It wasn't until then she realized her words, and her eyes widened, face falling completely pale with shock. Tears started rolling. " Y – yes… It's… true…" (4)

Gregojev's eyes shone with satisfaction. " That would be all."

And so the trial was over for the day.

* * *

With the torment ending, the entire group once again gathered into a uncomfortably hot, small room in the courthouse that had became far too familiar to them. 

Nadja's teary face was a mask of distress as she phased around the room. " This is bad… This is so bad… We'll never get them convicted." She shook her head, seeming outraged. " They made us look like freakin' bloodthirsty maniacs, while Voltaire and Boris seem like two damn saints who have spent all those years of their lives taking care of a gang of ungrateful brats!"

" Nadja, calm down", Shelly Tshadov ordered as she entered the room, sounding almost amused. She smiled as she closed the door and looked at Ray and Nadja. " You both did very well today. Gregojev wouldn't have pulled out those idiotic questions if he wouldn't be very desperate." Her smile brightened as she looked at them all. " Just hang in there for a little while longer, okay? It seems like we're winning this case."

* * *

" Kai?" 

He frowned, not liking the voice that made his head hurt. Or was it the voice that brought him pain?

" Hey, are you awake?"

Slowly starting to come around, he gave a meow as this hellish, blazing pain shot through him, going all the way from head to toe. " Damnit…"

He felt a hand tentatively graphing his, rubbing a little to ease his pain. " It's alright. You'll be feeling much better soon. Just hold on a little while, 'k? Take deep breaths."

He did as ordered, and sucked in desperate breaths, gritting his teeth as the pain became almost more than he could bear. Eventually it seemed to subside a little, and he gave a small, shuttering sigh of relief.

" Good. Now open your eyes."

Gradually, his eyelids that seemed to weight a ton slid open, and in the middle of all the blur he saw a form that seemed somewhat familiar. " Nadja?" he uttered a tiny rasp through bone-dry lips.

She nodded, smiling. " Morning. Dr. Hendez was starting to get a little worried about you." Just then she seemed to notice she was holding his hand. For a moment, she visibly debuted whether to let go or not, but eventually decided not to, instead squeezed tighter. " Do you want a glass of water… or something?"

Kai shook his head, not completely trusting his voice. His throat was hurting like hell – he doubted anything would go through it. It took a while before he managed to speak. " Did… she get… them out…?" He swallowed with much difficulty. " The implants… Are they… gone?"

" There were so many of them that we can't be sure if they could all be removed in one operation." Just then he realized that Dr. Hendez was also in the room. She seemed exhausted. " We didn't dare to make you any longer operation before you're a bit more recovered: even this was a huge strain for you. But we did the best we could, and I'm confident most of the implants are gone now."

He nodded, then winced as another surge of pain tormented him. " Crap…"

Seeing his pain, the doctor gave him a look of deep sympathy. " I afraid the implants were placed quite deep. You'll experience some pain and nausea for a while. But I'm sure you'll be fine, though it might not feel that way now." She then smiled. " Right now, you need a lot of rest to build up your strength." She looked at Nadja. " Make sure he stays in bed and actually sleeps, okay?"

The girl nodded, smirking slyly. " I'll tie him to the bed if I have to."

" Good." Starting to leave, the doctor gave him a one more look. " I'll come and check up on you later. Now try to get some sleep, understood?"

He gave an amused nod, after which the woman disappeared. Kai had almost fallen asleep, when he suddenly heard a small sob. Frowning with worry, he turned his gaze to find his sister quickly wiping her eyes. " Nad? What's wrong?"

She shook her head, giving a croaky laughter. " Sorry… I'm just… too tired." She sighed, rubbing her face with one hand. " A lot has happened, you know?"

Kai nodded, understanding. Nadja had really went through a lot during the past months: everything Voltaire had taught her to believe in had been shattered, her… relationship with Tala had grown stronger (yes, unfortunately he had noticed the bond between the two), and she'd learned to trust her brother again, only to almost lose him. That was way too much for anyone. " Don't… apologize." After considering it a while, he shifted – despite the pain it caused – making room. " Come here."

Nadja blinked, half-confused, half-amused. " You do realize that you're making me feel like a five-year-old, right?"

He smiled. " So what?"

She thought about it for a while, then slipped into the bed, cuddling close to his comforting warmth. Still smiling tiredly, he wrapped a protective arm around her, pulling her close. In a matter of seconds he was fast asleep.

Also closing her eyes, Nadja listened to the strong, steady beating of Kai's heart, and the soothing, deep breathing that made his chest rise and fall in steady rhythm. Giving a sigh, she tightened her hold of him.

For all their lives, Kai had been doing everything he could and almost more to protect her – whether she'd known it or not. This time, it was her turn to make sure he was safe.

With those thoughts, she also fell asleep, holding her brother in a tight, tender embrace.

* * *

An hour later, Tyson and Max just entered the hospital to go and check up on Kai, when they saw a familiar person stepping out of Dr. Hendez's office. Both blinked in surprise while watching Dara slump to a nearest seat with a shocked expression upon her face, her shaking hand brought against her mouth. Her face seemed unnaturally pale. 

" Dara? Are you alright?" Max asked with a deep frown of worry and confusion.

She jumped with frighten upon hearing his voice, and seemed even further startled when seeing them there. " Y – yeah…", she mumbled, inhaling and exhaling deeply, obviously restraining a heave from coming. " Just… The nerves…"

Tyson shook his head, smiling slightly. " You must be the worst liar ever", he announced. His smile widened when Dara gave him a startled look. " Look, I'm not an idiot. We just saw you come out of the doctor's office."

Max gave another frown of worry. " Are you sick?"

" N – no… I just… According to Dr. Hendez…" She gulped, obviously not sure if she should tell them this. " I… I'm pregnant…"

Both boys' eyes widened with utter shock. It took for a long moment before either could form words. " Kai… Is he…?" Tyson finally wheezed.

Dara's eyes flashed. " Of course he is", she snapped, then sighed, noticing her tone. " Sorry… This is just kinda…" She gestured with her hand.

There was another silence as the boys still tried to adjust to the news. This time, Max was the one to cut it. " What are you going to do? Are you gonna go and tell Kai?"

Dara shook her head lightly, still seeming uncomfortable with telling them all this. " I'm having a baby, of course. But… No, I won't tell Kai just yet."

Tyson's eyebrows immediately furrowed. " Why not?"

" With today's surgery, the trial, recovering and all his memories… I think he has enough of stuff on his mind already. A baby… might push him over the edge. " She smiled slightly, knowing that Tyson was just being a good friend. " Don't worry, as soon as all this crap is over and he's feeling better, I tell him. I guess I'll have to eventually." Warm, unbelievably happy smile of a expecting mother graced her features as she gently rubbed her still flat belly. " After all, the little-one won't stay hidden forever."

Looking at Dara, Tyson couldn't help smiling. The feelings he saw upon her face right then… They were genuine. No matter how many mistakes she'd made, how many lies she'd told, what he saw now was for real. " I… I think Kai really wants a family, and… I definitely think he earns one – you both do. So…" His smile widened. " Congrats."

Dara gave a genuine smile of relief, gratitude and happiness. " Thanks." Anyone could tell how much Tyson's words, his acceptance, had meant to her. " Just promise me you'll let me tell Kai myself, 'k? When I think he's ready for it."

Tyson nodded. After all, there was no reason to doubt Dara's promises anymore. And this was something she deserved to get to handle herself. " Of course."

" Just remember that you're not alone with this", Max joined in, warm, almost fatherly look in his blue eyes. " You're surrounded by friends. Never forget that."

Dara nodded, smiling brightly. It wasn't until then she realized that what Max had said was true.

First time in her life, she really had friends she could lean on. And it felt almost as good as the small miracle growing inside of her.

* * *

Later that evening, most of the Bladebrekers (save Kai, of course) were laying around in the Granger-dojo, trying their hardest to recover from the – to put it mildly – hellish training-session Kai had assigned Tala to give them. Even Dizzi sounded exhausted. 

" Seriously, I would've never imagined that there could possibly be someone as bad Kai", Tyson whined as he snuggled closer to Max. Both moaned in pain. " One of these days, I'll give Tala a taste of his own training."

Max gave a small chuckle. " You do realize that you don't sound exactly convincing at the moment, right?"

A groan could all of a sudden be heard from Ray's direction. Looking his way, they noticed that the neko-jin – who'd slumped onto a armchair – had his eyes closed as he rubbed his temple, deep frown upon his face.

Kenny frowned as well. " You okay?"

Ray nodded, not opening his eyes. " Yeah. It's just… The testimony got me a little… tense, I suppose."

Truth to be told, it wasn't just the trial. At the moment, Alissa was meeting a woman named Naima Yenglew from adoption-services. Alissa hadn't wanted him along – she'd stated that she needed a moment alone to gather herself. However, that wasn't what bothered Ray: he could understand why she needed this solitude and respected it. But what did somewhat disturb him was the fact that soon, he and Alissa's lives might be turned upside down – there might be a little girl they needed to take care of.

_Now that's a scary thought._

His musings were cut as there was a knock on the dojo's door. He quickly pulled himself to his feet, deciding that he needed to do something, anything, to get those troubling thoughts out of his head. " I'll get it."

His mind was somewhat hazy due to his mangled thoughts and all the aspirins he'd taken as he sauntered to the door. But when the door was opened, his heart almost stopped beating because of shock, and his eyes widened to nearly impossible size. " M – mom?" The shock, however, quickly transferred into rage as he remembered their latest conversation, and all the things she'd said about Alissa. " How dare you show your face around here?" he growled in Chinese.

Hurt briefly flickered in her eyes, but soon became overpowered by steel and sheer determination. " There is something important we need to discuss of, Ray-san."

Ray had absolutely no idea of why he followed when his mother walked into the backyard of the dojo, out of sight of his curious team-mates who were most likely peering at them through the window.

Silence had lasted for a long moment before she spoke. " Ray… How much do you think you know about parenting?"

That took Ray by surprise. After few moment's shock, he quickly took a defensive stance, eyes squinting. " I have two younger siblings. I believe I know quite a lot."

His mother gave sad laughter, shaking her head. " Oh dear… I don't think you have a slightest clue. You see…" Her eyes turned thoughtful. " When you're a parent, everything else comes after your child. Absolutely everything." She looked at him. " You are only fifteen, Ray. Are you sure that you want to spent the rest of your life with someone who always puts you into second place?"

That truly hit Ray, hard. Even though he'd met Pia only once, and even then briefly, he'd already started to develop a bondage to the child. But… sharing his loved one with someone… Was he truly ready for that yet?

Eyes flashing with fury, he glared at his mother. " I believe that is my decision to make, not yours."

" Ray, you could have it so much better." She could see him tense. " You could have someone who wouldn't be tied up by her past, someone who… someone who'd love nothing in this world beyond you. That's what I want you to have, because you deserve nothing less."

A light growl escaped Ray's lips. " I don't have to listen to this crap any longer." So saying, he whirled around and started to walk away.

Sayuki's heart wrenched. This was not how she would've wanted to play this game, but Ray gave her no other choice. " Don't you care about your responsibilities? Your legacy?" Her words made Ray freeze in movement. " You are the inheritor of the White Tiger, Ray. Whether you like it or not, your duty is to continue the Tiger's family."

The boy's eyes were burning as he looked at her. " I escaped from that place because it was killing me, and now you want to pull me back there?" His voice was filled with rage and disbelief. " I can't believe you."

Sayuki's eyes flashed as well while her heart filled with searing passion to protect her child. " I already lost one son, Ray. I won't watch you taking the same road!"

* * *

/ _Eight-years-old Ray could hardly understand what was going on around him as he sat on a bench in hospital's stinking waiting-room. His confused, amber eyes followed as his father phased around the room, lost, haunted look in his red and puffy eyes. His mother, on the other hand, had slumped powerlessly to the seat next to him, tears that escaped from her widened, defeated eyes rolling down her pale cheeks._

" _Momma, what's going on?" he asked, his voice slightly choked. He might be young, but he wasn't stupid: he knew that something was wrong. " Where's Kenji?"_

_Sayuki barely heard her son as her thoughts kept racing on. Her heart – nearly shattering to pieces with the grief and guilt filling it – ached almost more than she could bear as memories kept flashing before her eyes._

_Two years earlier, Kenji – seven years older than Ray – had asked her if he could spent some time in a bigger city, saying that the isolated village was killing him. She, as a loving parent who only wanted the best for her son, had let him go, despite her husband Jiang's protests. And exactly a year ago, Kenji had came back, saying that city-life hadn't suited him. But nothing had been quite the same: the boy hadn't been able to sleep, he'd gained strange bruises and his behavior had became increasingly violent, even towards his younger siblings. No matter how hard she'd tried, Sayuki hadn't managed to force him into telling what was wrong. And finally, it had all came down to this fatal evening, when she'd found her son laying unconscious on a bathroom floor – with a needle in his hand._

_Her thoughts were cut as a young male-doctor entered. " Are you Kenji Kon's parents?"_

_Ray's former confusion grew, and he felt almost panicked as he listened to the doctor's words he couldn't understand. " I afraid your son had a severe overdose of heroine. We… we tried our best, but… His heart stopped." The doctor gulped, amber eyes filled with sorrow. " I'm sorry, but… There was nothing we could do for him."_

_The last words hit Ray like a sledgehammer. He visibly jolted, and tears started running down his small face. " Kenji… Is he… Is he dead?" His sorrow turned into utter panic as his mother let out a wounded, animalistic cry, falling to his also crying father's arms. " Momma, papa, please, tell me! Where's Kenji? What happened to Kenji?"_

_Sayuki was deaf to his son, to his husband, to the doctor. All she could understand was the fact that her son was dead – and it was all her fault. She gave another cry as she buried her face deeper into her husband's shirt, feeling like a thorn had been slammed right through her stumbled heart. " I'm so sorry, Kenji…", she sobbed hysterically. " God, I'm so sorry…"_

_In that moment of utter despair and grief that would never subside, only one thought was coherent in her completely distorted mind: whatever it would take, she would never, ever lose another child._ /

* * *

Tears filled Ray's still furious eyes. " For how many times do I have to tell you!" he bellowed, shivering with rage and frustration. " I am not Kenji! Don't make me become him!" 

And at that moment, hearing the name that brought her pain almost enough to shatter her, Sayuki lost all her self-control and did something she'd sworn to never do again. She raised her hand, and before she properly realized what was happening it met her son's face, with such force that Ray's head jerked sideways. " _Never_ mention his name again, do you hear me? Don't _ever_ say it again!" she almost screamed, mind clouded with grief, pain and guilt. Her eyes squinted. " Whether you like it or not, you're a minor, and I'm your parent. I have every right to take you into a place where you'll be safe and sound." Her breathing was hitched and irregular as anxiety washed away all common sense. " As soon as this trial is over, you will come back to China with me. And I will make sure that you'll never see that criminal or her brat again."

* * *

The cell Voltaire and Boris had been put into was silent, and a sprit of the inevitable approaching was lingering thickly in the air. Both men knew that there was no chance for them to win the case. But despite that, there was a cruel smile upon Voltaire's face. 

" What are you smiling about?" Boris growled in Russian. " We'll be spending the rest of our lives in this dump! What's there to be happy about?"

" Nothing. Absolutely nothing." Voltaire's eyes sparked. " But there's one thing that makes me feel like a winner although I will be convicted."

Boris seemed confused as he looked at his former boss. " What would that be?"

Voltaire smiled, showing his perfect row of teeth. " My grandson will never live to see the day he'll get to testify against me."

* * *

Young nurse Aya Katsumi had a crushing headache as she entered the storeroom of the hospital, rubbing her temple with a huge frown. She immediately froze when seeing the man taking a needle and other equipment from a cabinet. 

The about thirty-years-old, tall man – who was wearing a doctor's long, white coat – had lengthy, greasy blackish-gray hair and a pair of sharpest blue eyes she'd ever seen. She definitely hadn't seen him before.

" Who are you?" she asked in a harsh tone. " What the heck are you doing here?"

Slowly, the man turned around to look at her. " If you turn around and walk away now, I won't have to harm you", he stated in a completely calm, smooth tone.

Aya's eyes flashed. " I'm calling the security."

She spun around – and never had a chance to do anything more. She gave a small, surprised gasp as this sharp, searing pain hit her neck. Only a second later her eyes slipped closed and she stumbled to the floor, dead.

Looking at the woman on the floor, hit-man Valdo gave a sigh. " Pity…", he murmured, stroking the woman's long, ebony locks while pulling the scalpel he'd thrown off of her neck. " She indeed was a pretty little thing." His eyes hardened as he put the bloodied scalpel into his pocket, straightening his tall frame. " But now, duty calls…"

* * *

In the meantime, Mr. Dickinson soundlessly entered Kai's hospital room. Visiting hours had ended hours ago, but there was something important he needed to do now, or he'd never have the courage to do it later… 

As he sat into the chair placed beside Kai's bed and looked at the restlessly sleeping boy, he suddenly felt a heavy bang of uncertainty.

So many things had changed for Kai. He'd been shattered both physically and mentally, and he was just getting the pieces of his messed up life picked together again. Would what he had to say be too much for the boy?

But Kai deserved to know, deserved a family. Now more than ever. Besides, it would be all over the newspapers the next day. And if he knew Kai at all, the boy definitely wouldn't appreciate hearing this from somewhere else than straight from him.

Almost like sensing that someone was watching him, Kai suddenly stirred, gaping up at him with confused, weary eyes. " Mr. Dickinson?"

He tried to smile. " Hello. How are you feeling?"

Kai gave a snort, rubbing his face with both hands. Mr. D mentally winced when seeing the small bandages covering his arms. " Dandy." A suspicious look came into the boy's by then fully alert eyes. " I don't want to sound rude, but… What are you doing here?"

Suddenly feeling extremely cold, Mr. D shuttered. " I… I have something… to tell you. Or actually, to… show you." He gulped stiffly. " Kai, could you show me your right hand?"

Frowning with suspicion, Kai complied. Gently, knowing perfectly how wary of being touched Kai still was, he shifted the hand to see his wrist – and immediately felt his heart skip a beat. Sure enough, a solid moon sickle shaped birthmark was there.

His face fell completely pale. " Oh gosh…"

Kai's frown deepened. " Mr. Dickinson, what's wrong? It's just a birthmark."

He shook his head dazedly. " Kai… The thing is… It's… It's not quite that simple."

By then, Kai seemed totally confused. " What are you talking about?"

After hesitating a while, Mr. D revealed the boy his own right wrist – which held the exactly same kind mark. " You see… This birthmark… runs in my family."

At first, Kai seemed dazed, not quite understanding. Then, slowly, it started to dawn on him, and his eyes widened with immense, utter shock.

* * *

Preparing a needle with slightly greenish substance, Valdo approached Kai Hiwatari's hospital room, eyes cold and determined. 

All of a sudden, he froze to the spot and hid away behind the corner as he saw a female doctor – who's nametag stated Tira Hendez – rush into the room. Some moments later, out came a man he immediately recognized as Stanley Dickinson, eyes filled with a huge turmoil of emotions. As he looked on, the man slumped onto a nearby bench, burying his face into his hands.

Making up his mind, Valdo slowly put away his needle and turned around, beginning to walk away from the room that'd suddenly became crowded.

He was patient, and Kai wouldn't be taking a stand in the courtroom for at least another weak. He'd have plenty of time to make sure that the boy would never get a chance to testify against his grandfather…

* * *

TBC.

* * *

A/N: Pheeeeeeeew, another looooong chapter, this time almost thirteen and half pages! (blacks out with exhaustion) 

Thee-hee, a lot happening, ne? So Dara's pregnant, and the trial goes on… And there's that creep after Kai. (shutters)

The next chapter shall reveal the secret behind Kai's (and Dara's, too) neck-tattoo. A couple more 'small' questions will also be answered. Will Ray's mother take him away? What happens to him and Alissa? Will Alissa get back Pia's custody? Will Kai accept Mr. D being his grandfather? Will Voltaire get his revenge? (Yeeeeeeah, a couple of questions…) (smirks)

Only two chapters left, folks! Please, please stay tuned! And **PLEASE** review – you have to know by now how much those little messages of yours mean to me! (gives pleading eyes)

Until next time, everyone!

(Btw, in case you're wondering how Dara can be pregnant… Remember that 'hospital scene' in chapter thirty? (grins) Or how Ray's mom knows about Pia… Such a juicy story is definitely all over the magazines.)

Wait, wait! All your requests concerning what you want to be revealed and/or the ending of this story are still appreciated!

(1) Remember, this is the missing piece from between chapters 7 and 8.

(2) Another missing scene, this time from chapter 11.

(3) Wanna know more about Ida? Take a look at chapter 12.

(4) The 'confrontation' I referred to here happened in chapter 6.


	34. Destination unknown

A/N: And it's done! Another chapter is finally ready – and even earlier than usually!

I know, you want to get on with the story. But first…

Thank you from the depths of my soul for all those reviews! (HUGE HUGS) Do you guys have a clue of how precious you are to me?

And here, about the… cursed, stinking retirement thingy… I wish I could continue writing to you guys, but at the moment… I'm so wrapped up with other things that a new fic might actually make my head burst. (Now that was disgusting…) I might come up with one or two farewell-type one-shots, but ONLY IF I manage to come up with a proper pairing/story-line. (At the moment, I'm pondering over following: BrooklynxKaixTyson, BrooklynxKai – though I've seen Brooklyn for only one episode – or WyattxKaixTyson.)

(Heh, perhaps I should let Sayuki have a cute, furry, little hamster. But, of course, I'm not going that easy on these people…)

Alright, on with the story! Eh… This chapter seriously hit the record – a little over 16 pages! (It's the damn flashbacks that did it!) You'll find out how the gang first… bonded, and how Kai and Mr. D first met. Hope this doesn't stink!

* * *

CHAPTER 34: Destination unknown 

/ _The huge Japanese airport was busy as people kept rushing on, hardly paying attention to each other._

_Seven-years-old Ray was getting bored out of his mind while sitting in a cafeteria, waiting for a man who's name he couldn't even remember anymore._

_This was his first trip abroad. Why did it have to be this boring?_

_Tapping with his fingers, he gave his mother a pleading look. " Mom, can't we go yet?"_

_Annoyance flashed in his mother's eyes, as he'd repeated that question for about twenty times during the past five minutes. " No, Ray, not yet." She gave him a small smile. " Mr. Hiwatari should appear any minute now. After that, I'll buy you a ice-cream. Deal?"_

_He also found himself smiling. " Deal."_

_All of a sudden, this strangest whisper came to his sensitive ears, and a chill unlike anything he'd experienced before travelled up his spine._

_Finding himself tensing, he frowned in wonder, cat's eyes flashing._

_Something was happening. Something big._

**_¨_**

_Not too far away, Joshua Granger was holding onto crying six-years-old Tyson, tears almost finding their way into his own eyes. " Tyson, I'm so sorry I have to go, but Dr. Sparov_ (1) _really needs my help in Russia."_

_" I don't want you to go back there!" Tyson cried, clinging desperately to the man. " Mommy already died there, I don't want to lose you, too!"_

_Hugging his son a little more tightly, Joshua gave a deep sigh, blinking furiously. It'd been only for seven months from Noriko's death. What if it was too soon for him to leave? " Tyson… I want you to look at me." It took a lot to make the boy loosen his hold of him. " I will come back as soon as the work is done, do you hear me? I will come back to you and Hiro. And until then, your grandfather will take a good care of you."_

_" Yeah", eight-years-old Hiro, who was standing behind them, confirmed, landing a comforting hand onto his younger brother's shoulder. " And I will take care of you, too."_

_As the final call for Joshua's flight came, Tyson's grandpa gently removed the still sobbing boy from his father. " Okay, little-dude, I afraid it's time for your daddy to go now."_

_Giving a defeated nod, Tyson looked at his father, eyes pleading. " You will come back, right?"_

_Smiling sadly, the man nodded. " Of course I will. And until then… there's something I want you to look after." The man gently gave him a small chip, decorated with a picture of a mighty dragon. " He's Dragoon. Soon enough, you two will be fighting together." His father's eyes became stern. " Don't ever stop believing in him, alright? Don't ever let your paths separate. Promise me that."_

_Feeling this strangest sensation of pulsating as the chip laid on his hand, Tyson nodded dazedly, staring at the picture. " I promise."_

_Smiling in relief, Joshua patted his son's hair. " Good boy."_

_Tears gathered into Tyson's eyes as he watched the tall man walk away and disappear. He almost jumped in frighten when the huge hand of his grandpa's – who was a complete stranger to him at the time – landed comfortingly onto his slightly quaking shoulder. " C'mon, dude. Let's go."_

**_¨_**

_On the other side of the airport, six-years-old Max was also crying as he hugged his mother. They'd spent great two months in Japan to meet some local relatives, but now… his mother would be going back to America._

_" Oh Maxie, it'll be alright… Shh… We'll be together in three weeks, okay?" She stroked his hair with that gentle touch only a mother could posses. " I'll write and call you every single day."_

_Tears still making their way down his cheeks, Max nodded and sniffed, then looked at her. " I love you, mommy. I'll miss you."_

_Despite the almost spilling tears, Judy smiled. " I love you too. And I'll miss you every second." So saying, she straightened her form and got up, taking a look at her husband. Gently, she stroked his cheek and he repeated the gesture, tears rimming both their eyes. Despite his age, Max found his heart aching due to the obvious pain he could sense in both of them._

_Having said her byes, Judy swiftly turned around and walked away, unable to look back._

_For a longest moment, Max gazed with something close to despair as his mother disappeared, unable to block away the flowing tears._

_Then, so swiftly that it scared him, a feeling of other kind filled him. His heart jumped in his chest as some strangest force told him to turn around – and he saw a child at his age with midnight-blue hair and furiously stormy eyes gazing back at him from a seat nearby. Both their eyes were filled with curiosity and excitement as they kept staring at each other, almost like recognising._

_Max was just about to take a hesitant step forward, when his father's wrist suddenly prevented him. " Max, you know it's rude to stare", the man admonished in a gentle tone, easily lifting him up into his broad shoulders. " Let's get going."_

_Max gave a small nod, all of a sudden unable to form words. As his father carried him away, he turned his gaze to meet the strange boy's blue eyes for one more time._

_And when their eyes once again met, something definitely clicked to place._

**_¨_**

_Still wearing his camp-uniform, Kenny – who was just having his sixth birthday – found himself shivering as he approached the tall man wearing a flawless suit._

_He'd just spent a whole summer in a Beyblade-camp of Biovolt corporation in America. It'd been such a long time… Would his father even recognize him?_

_Seeing him approaching, the man made a smallest movement of head to take a look at him. " You're late."_

_He gulped nervously. This wasn't starting out well… " I… I'm sorry, father… The buss was late."_

_Making a small, displeased sound, the man whirled around. " Oikowa, help my son carry his bags. We're in a hurry – I have another meeting here in Japan in an hour."_

_The small male-servant nodded. " Yes, Sir."_

_As Oikowa took the huge bag Kenny had been dragging along, the boy stared at his father's distancing back, all hope disappearing from his eyes._

_He didn't remember… He didn't remember my birthday…_

_Annoyed look in his sharp eyes, the man peered at him over his shoulder. " Are you coming? We don't have all day."_

_Gulping again, he gave an obedient nod. " Sorry, father." So saying, he ran along, tears squeezing his tight throat._

_He woke up from his gloomy thoughts for a moment as something suddenly caught his attention. A familiar sound of laughter…_

_Turning his gaze in slight daze, he met the gaze of a small, blond-haired boy's. Seeing him, the boy giggled and waved, almost like they'd known each other forever. And for some odd reason, he found himself responding, also giving a wide smile of recognition._

_The strange moment was cut by his father's harsh voice. " Damnit… Kenny, wait here with Oikowa. I forgot my jacket."_

_Nodding rather dully, Kenny followed Oikowa's example as the man soundlessly sat to a nearby bench, once again sinking to the sad, disappointed thoughts of his forgotten birthday._

_" Do you speak Japanese, too?" The delighted, joyful voice almost startled him. Turning his gaze, he saw a blue-hared, stormy-eyed boy sitting next to him._

_" Y – yes", he almost stuttered. Although he'd spent months on a summer-camp, he was still horrible when it came to social situations – and this weird thumping inside of him didn't make it any easier._

_The boy grinned widely. " Cool!" The child gestured wildly with his hands. " I'm Tyson."_

_He almost replied, when Oikowa cut in. " Young Master, I… I think we should go." The man seemed deeply nervous. " Your father… wouldn't want to see you with… someone from his social class." The man took his hand. " Let's go to cafeteria."_

_Swallowing down the bitter taste of rage and disappointment, along with almost spilling tears, Kenny nodded and followed the man, head bowed._

_Little did he know that one year later – after his father's death – he and Tyson were best friends._

_Neither said a word as they sauntered to the rather busy cafeteria-area. Kenny hardly paid attention to the man saying something about ice-cream and coffee, as there was this strange… crawl underneath his skin all of a sudden. Frowning, he turned his gaze – and blinked as he looked into a pair of curious, alert golden-eyes._

_The feeling of bond forming was almost overwhelming. It was like he'd been expecting this._

_The thought made him blink again. " How strange…", he muttered to himself._

_His musings were cut as Oikowa reappeared, offering him a ice-cream. " Happy birthday, Young Master", the man congratulated with a smile._

_He was struck stunned first, then gave a large, grateful smile. " Thank you."_

_The man's smile widened. " Now… Let's go before your father comes back."_

**_¨_**

_Almost nine--years-old Kai had a baffled, almost scared look in his auburn eyes as he followed his grandfather enter the airport that was buzzing with crowd._

_Thanks to all his training, his senses were immediately activated when this itch ran down his spine. He ducked and outstretched a wrist band covered arm just in time to catch a falling ice-cream. As he turned his gaze to see who it belonged to, his eyes widened when he saw a small, brown-haired boy. The tingling sensation became far stronger as he dazedly took a step towards the boy. Seeming rather confused himself, the boy reached out a hand to take the treat back – but was held back by his father._

_Disgust filling his eyes, the man glared at Kai's uniform. " I don't want you to touch that… thing, Kenny." Forcefully, the man begun to drag his son along. " It's certainly time to go."_

_Kai was too bewildered by the sensation of connection with the boy to notice the looks people nearby gave him when seeing his uniform._

_Who was that boy? What the heck was going on?_

_His wondering became cut as he suddenly ran into someone. Blinking, he lifted his gaze to meet a pair of stormy eyes – and felt his heart race. Familiar… So very familiar… The shocked look in the younger boy's eyes clearly told that he felt exactly the same._

_For a longest time they just stared at each other, until a pair of arms pulled the boy away. A sharp, hate-filled child's voice spoke. " Tyson, get away from him! Don't you see where he's from? Those people killed mommy!"_

_Kai felt this huge bang in his chest, and looked down in shame. Damnit, why did his grandfather have to make him wear the Biovolt-uniform in public?_

_He quickly started following his grandfather again, desperately trying not to look at anyone. He didn't want to see another pair of those disgusted eyes, not ever again._

_He woke up from his thoughts as he noticed that they'd came to a cafeteria, and were now approaching a woman sitting with a black-haired child. " Do you have it?" Voltaire immediately asked harshly in English, not bothering to greet._

_The woman nodded. " Of course." Carefully, she took out a box and even more cautiously pulled out a magnificent, black bey-blade that had some green decorating it. Watching the blade, Kai felt his heart jump in this unspeakable way. " It is exactly what you asked for, and even more."_

_" Kai?" a child's voice suddenly woke him from his thoughts._

_Surprised, he turned his gaze to find the woman's son looking at him. " How did you know?"_

_The child grinned smugly. " I've always been good at guessing names. Besides, I've heard mom talking about you on a phone." Still smiling, the boy offered him a hand. " I'm Ray."_

_He was about to take it, when the woman roughly pulled her son away, making the child cry out in pain. " Don't touch him, Ray. You don't know what he really is."_

_Kai also winced when Voltaire graphed his wrist so tightly that it hurt. " It's time for us to leave, grandson. I don't want you to associate with a worthless piece of filth like that."_

**_¨_**

_Approaching the gate leading to a flight to China, Ray suddenly alerted as he heard a child's voice shouting. Curiosity lighting up in his amber eyes, he turned his gaze to see two blue-hared boys – one about two years older than the other – shouting at each other in a language he couldn't understand. An older man was loudly trying to make peace, but to no avail._

_Most likely sensing his stare, the younger boy suddenly stopped arguing and turned his surprised gaze to him. Both immediately gasped, eyes widening, as this energy drifted between them._

_Recognition, no doubt about it._

_Ray's attention was, however, ripped elsewhere by his mother's voice. " It's good to go back home, isn't it?"_

_He forced a small smile. " Yeah, mom."_

_But truth to be told, he wasn't so sure if home was where he should've been headed…_

**_¨_**

_As his father had been talking to a cell-phone for what seemed like a decade, Max decided that he just couldn't hold it anymore. Not willing to disturb the apparently important phone-call, he soundlessly got up and sauntered towards where he thought the toilets were._

_He didn't know exactly how he got into that dark, definitely creepy hallway. Noticing that he was lost, he made a loud, nervous gulp – and just then felt chills run through his as he heard furious talking in a language he barely understood. " I told you to never associate with those pieces of filth!" There was this sound he'd only heard in television before – a cruel noise of someone being slapped – followed by a cry. " Stop that whining. You know it doesn't get you anywhere."_

_" Yes, grandfather." The voice shuttered – Max frowned as he heard both rage and fear._

_Trusting himself into the hands of some strange, inner voice, he quietly sneaked closer to the noises, although a huge part of him begged him not to. Behind the corner he found an elderly man, and a boy with two-toned hair and flaming eyes, pressing his hand against his cheek. Probably sensing his gaze, the boy lifted his head – and Max's heart immediately jumped as he met those eyes, feeling this strangest, almost burning surge of energy run through him._

_For a moment, dozens of emotions – he could recognize at least surprise, fear and desperation – flashed in the boy's eyes. But they quickly disappeared as the older boy turned his gaze away, leaving Max's entire body feeling cold._

_The boy hadn't looked away fast away, though. The elder man's eyes squinted as his soulless gaze whipped to Max's direction. " Is someone in there?"_

_At that moment, Max ran faster than ever in his life._

**_¨_**

_What none of the children knew was that apart from each other, five bit-chips begun to glow furiously as a connection was formed._ (2)

**_¨_**

_Elsewhere in the huge airport-building, Stanley Dickinson suddenly halted as if he'd hit a wall and paled, feeling this strangest surge of energy. Cold breeze tingled all over him._

_His employee Han Takato, who'd been walking with him, frowned when seeing the look upon his face. " Mr. Dickinson? Is something wrong?"_

_He shook his head, still in total stun. " I… I have no idea…"_

_Mr. D didn't know yet that in that fatal day, destiny had made its work. Fates of six people became tangled forever._

_A long, painful road to unknown had opened up before them._ /

* * *

A week after the unpleasant appearance of Ray's mother, the mood in a small room in BBA-headquarters was filled with such sadness that it couldn't be described with words as Alissa silently placed a tie around Ray's neck, unsuccessfully trying to catch the boy's straying eyes. 

Without looking, she knew what his eyes were on. The clock hanging on the wall kept ticking forward mercilessly, with each and every twitch taking away a small part of the unjustifiably little time they still had together.

As soon as the trial would end for the day, taking a two week's recess, Ray's mother would drag him with her to China. And after that… They both knew that as long as the boy would be legally minor, his parents wouldn't let him even call Alissa, let alone visit her. For the next two and a half years, the only way they could contact was a letter every now and then. For anyone, that was excruciatingly long time to wait.

" I will come back."

Ray's sudden words startled Alissa. Blinking her stinging eyes, she looked at him. " What?"

" I will come back", he repeated, a look between misery and burning determination in his golden eyes. " It… It might not happen in days, or even months, but… As soon as I can, I'll come and find you and Pia, no matter for how long it takes. I won't let you slip away from me like this."

Looking into his eyes, Alissa found herself shivering violently, as a hint of doubt whispered in the back of her mind. So many people had betrayed the promises they'd given her. Why would Ray be any different?

Seeing the hesitation in her eyes, Ray went on, a small, sad smile upon his face. " I… I know it's not easy, but… Trust me, please." Remembering something, he started going through his pockets. " There's something I want to give you. A sign of promise… or something like that."

A deep frown came to Alissa's face as he watched Ray fish something out of his pocket. He then pressed the thing into her hand, closing her fingers around it.

Her confusion turned into total shock as she opened her fist. " Oh my gosh…" It was a beautiful, white-gold ring that had pictures of a tiger and a wolf engraved to it. Alissa's eyes were widened to an impossible size as she looked at the boy. " Are you…?"

She became brutally interrupted as the door was swung open. In peered Max. " Have you guys seen Tyson?"

Ray could barely keep his cool. " An hour ago. I think he said something about going to see Kai, and then crabbing a bite."

Max's eyes widened with the last three words. " Oh crap…" The trial would start in two hours. If Tyson would get his hands on food before that…

As Max dashed out, Ray once again looked at Alissa – and a wide smile spread to his features as he saw the ring on her finger. A mark of acceptance.

Giving a sad smile of her own, Alissa gently took his hand and squeezed it, linking her fingers with his.

Soon, they'd be ripped apart. But they had this moment – and a promise that couldn't be broken.

* * *

/ _Stanley Dickinson wasn't exactly sure of what pulled him into that shady, small street in Moscow – especially when night had long ago fallen, and the coldness was almost enough to freeze anyone to death._

_He, however, gave a loud gulp and froze to the spot as the horrifying sight greeted him. His eyes widened to impossible size. " Oh my goodness…"_

_There, slumped to the snow and leaning unsteadily against a stonewall, was a small, probably not older than nine-years-old boy with two-toned hair. The boy's eyes were squeezed shut and he'd wrapped his arms tightly around himself in a desperate attempt to stay warm. But he was still shivering violently – as he was only wearing a thin, black uniform – and the bluish lips clearly told that he'd been outside for quite some time. Deep, nasty wounds could be seen all over his small, painfully slender form._

_Awakening from his state of shock, Stanley quickly dashed over to the child. " Hey, are you awake?" he called out. No reaction, only worsening shivering. " Can you hear me?"_

_As there still wasn't any reaction, he reached out a hand to touch the child – but before he could think any further, the boy slapped his hand away with surprising strength. He was almost startled when auburn, terrified eyes flew open. Seeing him, the child screamed loudly in Russian. " Get away! Don't touch me! Get away from me!"_

_Immense sadness filling his entire soul, Stanley tried to smile. " It's alright", he reassured and attempted to touch the child again, only to get his hand slapped. " I won't hurt you, I promise. I only want to take you to somewhere warm, alright? You have some bad wounds that have to be treated." As the boy gave a small, tentative nod after long consideration, he dared to smile a little more. " I'm Stanley Dickinson. What's your name?"_

_At that point, the barely conscious boy's lips were shivering so badly that he could hardly speak. " K – Kai…" With that, the child stumbled into his arms, blacking out._

_Hearing the name, Stanley felt his eyes widen with utter shock. For a moment he stared at the child in total disbelief. " Oh gosh…"_

_Soon enough, he shook the thoughts away. This wasn't the time for shock – Aleksei's son or not, he'd have to get this child into warmth, fast._

_So thinking, the cradled the boy into his arms and hurried on._

**_¨_**

_As Kai woke up, it took for a long, long moment before he calmed down enough to understand that he was safe, and the doctor hovering over him was only checking up on his wounds. By then, he knew that he was looked after by the head of an organisation called BBA._

_Neither knew for how long it'd been silent in the hotel room only the boy and Stanley occupied, when Kai's small, still weak voice spoke. " Why… Why did you help me?"_

_This surprised Stanley a bit. Blinking, he looked at the child. " Because I wanted to." He blinked again. " Why would you ask such a thing?"_

_Staring at some spot in distance, Kai shivered, wrapping even more tightly into himself. " No one's… ever helped me before."_

_Feeling his heart shatter, Stanley nodded, then looked at Kai's bandaged arms. Gosh, how he would've wanted to ask how the boy had ended up hurt, but didn't dare to. Kai was just beginning to trust him – that was the first time the boy had actually spoken to him. He didn't want to ruin it._

_He jumped in mild frighten when there was a loud, demanding knock on the door. Kai's eyes widened with utter horror as he rose up to open. " P – please, don't open…" The boy desperately shook his head. " Don't let him…" The words died out._

_Giving a small, surprised laughter, he walked up to the door. Why on earth was the boy so scared? " It's alright, Kai. It's probably just one of my employees."_

_But as he opened up, he realized exactly why the child had been so terrified. Behind to door, face filled this horrifying hatred, stood Voltaire Hiwatari, eyes flaming. " I've heard rumours my grandson is here", the man gave a near-growl. " Give him back in this instant, Stanley, or I'll call the police, and you'll be sued for a kidnap."_

_" Grandfather, no!" Despite his injuries, Kai was up faster than Stanley could speak, eyes filled with unspeakable fear. " I… I'll come, just… Don't hurt him. Don't get him into a trouble."_

_Voltaire growled. " Just come, brat." His eyes flashed. " We need to have a long discussion."_

_Auburn eyes filled with horror, helplessness, rage and sadness all at once, Kai bowed his head and followed as the tall man graphed his wrist, so hard that it almost snapped broken._

_All desperate, furious Stanley could do was watch the child being dragged away by the monster. And it took for over three years before they met again._ /

* * *

In Kai's hospital room, Tyson felt this tingling of nervousness going through him as he watched Kai – already wearing a black suit – preparing himself. " Kai… Are you sure this is a good idea?" 

" Yeah." The boy's auburn eyes flashed. " This is the only way to get rid of all those… memories, this nightmare." He gave a quick glance to Dara, who was just helping him fix up his tie. " Besides, I want to be there… Just in case."

It was almost impossible for Tyson to keep his mouth shut. Gosh, Kai was so protective of Dara! If only the boy had known that there was another life growing inside of her that should be protected…

Finished up with the tie, Dara abruptly straightened her still slender form, making a silent, yet visible gulp. " I… I'm gonna go to… cafeteria… You guys want anything?"

To her luck, Kai was too deep in thought to notice her strange behaviour, instead gave a small shake of head. Tyson repeated the gesture. " I'm gonna go and eat something before the trial", he stated.

Seeming slightly relieved, the girl nodded and dashed out, towards the nearest bathroom, as Tyson knew – the morning-sickness was seriously giving her hard time.

He didn't know for how long he'd been lost in his mangled thoughts, until Kai's voice suddenly ripped him back to reality. " Look, Ty…" Fiddling his ruby-decorated pendant, the boy gave a frown, obviously finding it hard to pick out what he wanted to say. " Thanks."

Now that one Tyson hadn't expected. He blinked, dumbfounded. " For what?"

Feeling something close to shame, Kai looked away, distant images flashing before his eyes.

All those times he'd struggled away and been taken away… Before lake Baikal, back when Voltaire had taken him, for so many times after his memory had been erased…

But still, there'd always been a hand reaching out for him, whether he'd wanted it or not.

Eyes filled with a huge mixture of emotions, he met Tyson's puzzled gaze. " For holding on."

Confused even further by the cryptic answer, Tyson opened his mouth to ask more, when the door suddenly opened. He gave a gulp when seeing Mr. D enter.

He'd seen the state Kai'd been in after finding out the man's secret, and knew that they hadn't talked since. So… This would not be a nice visit. " I… I think I'll go to grab that bite now", he muttered, then made his exit as fast as humanly possible.

The two barely noticed Tyson leaving as they eyed on each other, both wondering how to advance. Not knowing how to feel about the man's presence, Kai turned his gaze to the window, a part of him desperately wanting the elder to leave.

Eventually Mr. D decided that the silence had to be broken. " Look, Kai…" He paused, gathering his thoughts. " I… I'm sorry… about all this mess. I wish it wouldn't have came to this." His eyes went watery as Kai still refused to look at him. " I don't want to lose you because of this. You… You've always been like a grandson to me, even before I knew you were one. I don't want to lose that." His breathing became very labored all of a sudden, and he had to gulp. " I don't want you to hate me."

Still not looking at him, Kai shook his head. " I don't hate you, Mr. Dickinson. I… I don't think I ever could."

Daring himself to feel slight relief, Mr. D approached the teen, about to put his hand onto the boy's shoulder. He, however, changed his mind when seeing Kai tense at the sensation of him approaching. Unimaginable coldness filled him as a horrible thought crossed his mind. " Are you afraid of me, then?"

Again, Kai shook his head. " I'm just afraid of what you're expecting of me." The boy finally looked at him, gaze filled with uncertainty and doubt. " I… I can't be your grandson, Mr. Dickinson, not yet. Maybe not ever." He looked away, seeming ashamed. " I don't know how to…"

A soft smile came to Mr. D's face. " I'm not expecting you to be one, Kai. All I want is you not shutting down on me."

Relief clearly evident in his eyes, Kai nodded. As silence fell on them, Mr. D hesitantly took a seat beside Kai on the boy's bed, and they both drifted into their thoughts.

It would take a long, long time before things would be the same between them. But at that moment, both could be sure that they were on their way there.

* * *

/ _Doing the last of his paperwork late in evening, Stanley Dickinson had almost fallen asleep when there was a sudden knock on his door. Snapping his head up, he met the face of his secretary's, Eika Imana's. " Mr. Dickinson, there's someone to see you."_

_He blinked in surprise. It was ten in the evening! Who the heck could it be? " I'm going home soon", he stated, rubbing his face with one hand. " Tell them to come tomorrow."_

_" He says his name is Kai Hiwatari."_

_That certainly earned his attention. Breath caught into his throat, and his eyes widened. He could feel his face fall pale. " K – Kai?" Receiving a nod, he gulped loudly, mind spinning with shock and disbelief. " C – Call him in."_

_Nodding, the woman went. His heart was thudding so badly that it almost burst as he listened to steps approaching, one by one. And after a time that felt almost unbearably long, the boy – now twelve-years-old – stood by his doorway._

_He couldn't help but gulp again. " K – Kai?" he whispered. " Is… Is it you?"_

_A mixture of confusion, frustration, fear and misery flashed in the boy's auburn eyes. " I… I afraid I don't remember you, Mr. Dickinson… I don't remember almost anything. But…" He, too, gulped, face suddenly filled with hesitation. " I… I wanted to come… to you. I think I… had to."_ /

* * *

Tala felt possibly more nervous than ever in his life as he sat under Voltaire Hiwatari and Boris Balkov's murderous glares in the courtroom. His part was almost over, though. Soon enough he'd done his share in sending the monsters behind bars. 

Perhaps then, this nightmare would finally end.

" So, Mr. Ivanov", Shelly Tshadov stated. " I understood that ten months ago, the trainer of the Abbey attempted to kill you." Tshadov signalled towards Boris. " Was it the prosecuted?"

He looked at Boris, all nervousness replaced by hatred. " Yes." He relived the painful memories, which made the rage grow. " I was basically under a death-sentence after my defeat against Tyson." He moved his sleeve a little, showing the deep, horrible scar that covered almost the entire arm, then his collar to show the other – smaller – scar that meandered down his neck. " Voltaire Hiwatari ordered Boris to give me these the day I lost." He shuttered. " And then… Voltaire told all us Abbey-kids to bring Kai back to the Abbey – whatever measures required. I refused, and tried to over-talk Nadja Hiwatari to do the same, but… Voltaire found out. It almost cost me my life." (3)

" And I understood that it wasn't the only time he tried to take your life."

" That's right." Pain flashed in Tala's blue eyes, and it was close that he didn't break into tears. " I was supposed to be in the Abbey – along with my friend Bryan Kuznetsov – when they burned it down." Tala inhaled deeply and paused, struggling back the tears. " Almost all of the thirty-five kids staying there died that night, most of them people I considered… friends – as far as there could be friendships in the Abbey."

" But you and Mr. Kuznetsov escaped."

" Yes." He shuttered slightly, gulping down the lump in his throat. " It came close, but… we made it. We… we didn't have any idea… of what would happen…"

Suddenly, the door of the courtroom opened quietly, and a small smile appeared to Tala's strained features as he saw the person beside smiling Dara. It was no other than Kai, and Tala's smile widened when he realized just how much it must've have taken of the boy to come there: after all, Kai was still terrified of crowds, and even being around his friends – people he knew he could trust – was still sometimes almost more than he could handle. Not to mention that he was now under the eyes of Voltaire and Boris.

Though Kai was leaning against a walking-stick (that he'd have to use for the rest of his life), and was still slightly paler than usually, the boy looked at him sternly, burgundy eyes sending a single message.

_Take those bastards down. For us all._

And that was exactly what Tala was about to do.

" I assume you who grew in the Abbey were marked down", Tshadov continued.

Tala found himself trembling. " Yes." He paused for a while, restraining his emotions. " We all have a series of numbers tattooed to the backs of our necks. That way Voltaire and Boris could identify us if we ever tried to escape." He had to gather himself before continuing. " My number is 1-6-6-4. The last number represents the times I tried to escape from that hell, and it was done again after every escape-attempt, each time tattooed a little more deep. The second-last is the number of my defeats." Trembling overtook him. " Six… was the maximum number… After that… it was a death-sentence." He blinked his eyes, memories of all the pain and torture becoming too much for him. " The first number is my position in the Abbey-hierarchy. There were four classes, in which one's rating was determined by the number of his losses and victories in matches against other Abbey-kids and outsiders. Number ones were the most skilled and best treated. The following two classes were … well, basically lousy but needed filth in Voltaire and Boris' eyes. They were only spared because they could be used as servants and practise-opponents. But if you fell to class four…." Tala had to swallow back his almost falling tears. " Then you were an inch from being sent into the Section. No one came back from there." (4)

Tshadov gave him a brief moment to collect himself before continuing. " How exactly did this… scale system work?"

Tala was shivering, the look of his blue eyes distant as his mind drifted to somewhere very far away. " It… It was all a question of winning and losing." It would've been so very tempting to cry, but he wouldn't allow himself such pleasure. " If… If you won – or worked as a spy for Voltaire and Boris – you were… promoted. But… if you lost for too many times…" The tears weren't under his control anymore. " That's one reason to why we… we couldn't make friends in that dump… We never knew when… when one of us was gone, killed or… sent into the Section."

" What exactly was this… Section?"

Tala shook his head, helplessly trying to wipe away the tears. " I… I don't know, none of us does… No one who went there… came back alive." He gulped loudly, knowing that the hardest part was yet to come. " And… there's more." He squeezed his eyes tightly shut, inhaling a deep, shuttering breath. The memories, all the guilt, pain and shame they brought, were becoming unbearable. " Bey-battles weren't the only forms of fighting in the Abbey…." It was almost impossible to speak, his voice sounded hoarse. " Boris trained us to be soldiers… So we fought each other to train… With fists, sticks, sometimes even swords and hand-guns…" He could barely breathe. " They were always one on one-fights… The difference to bey-battles was that… in these fights we… weren't allowed to leave the ring until another one of the fighters had been… extinguished." His eyes squeezed even more tightly shut, he was too ashamed to open them. " We had to fight well… just to make it out of the ring alive… And if someone refused to finish the job… Boris took his gun and executed both fighters, because in his opinion… if you can't kill, you're weak and useless." He paused and opened his eyes slowly, locking his gaze to Kai, somehow getting courage and strength from the boy's reassuring, fiery eyes. " That's what the second number in my tattoo represents… It's the lives those two freaks forced me to take."

Tshadov nodded, giving him a small, reassuring smile. " That was all I had to ask."

* * *

After two long hours the trial finally had a recess. Everyone on the list of witnesses, save Kai, Dara and some others they didn't know of, had taken their turns to testify against the two monsters, and opening the old wounds all over again had been easy for none of them. 

" I am proud of you all", Mr. Dickinson announced with a wide smile, looking at the seemingly exhausted group. He'd been watching the trial with Alissa (who was now sitting between her brother and Ray) and Nadja (who stood nearby Tala).

" I would've never expected it to be that hard", Tala confessed quietly, falling to the nearest chair as his knees gave way.

" But you did it anyway", came a soothingly familiar voice.

Turning their heads, they saw Kai approaching them with a clearly noticeable limp. Despite the pain walking surely caused the boy, he had a determined, almost relieved look upon his face.

They had won, that was for sure. After all this time, Voltaire and Boris were finally going to pay for their crimes. Though the sentence would be declared two months later, everyone already knew it.

" For a second we thought you weren't coming at all", Tala said, smirking. " What took you so long?"

With a quiet growl, Kai gave his damaged leg an accusing glare. " It still takes for a damn long time to get moving with this useless piece of meat."

" Yes, and our patient here _politely_ refused of all help", Dara, who was walking with Kai, filled in with an amused tone. " He almost punched a nurse."

" It was her own damn fault", Kai defended himself. " She should've know better than to approach a cranky patient who's armed with a walking-stick."

Bryan smirked widely. " Good old Kai."

Suddenly there was a sound of running-steps along with loud panting, and as they looked, they saw Max and Tyson approaching them.

" Now where have you been?" Kai asked with an arched eyebrow, already guessing.

" Do you… have any idea of… how hard it is… to get Tyson away from food… in a lunch time?" Max, who was dragging the guilty-looking bluenette with him, panted, seeming like he'd just finished a marathon.

Kai just then noticed the three huge hickeys on Tyson's neck, and (to no avail) tried to hide his smirk. " I believe I'm getting the picture."

" I had… no other choice but to… take drastic measures", Max, who was panting much less by then, explained.

" You owe me… for that, Max Aaron Tate…", Tyson, whose face held a colour of a tomato (for the running or embarrassment, that can only be guessed), told his boyfriend darkly. " That was a good… pizza you persuaded… me away from."

They all looked up as Shelly Tshadov walked towards them, and suddenly all playfulness was gone. The recess was over.

Now, it was Dara's turn to face her nightmares.

" You did great", Tshadov congratulated Tala with a smile, then looked at Dara solemnly. " Are you ready?"

Dara sighed. " As ready as I'll ever be." Had anyone looked more carefully, they would've seen how badly she was shivering. Perhaps Kai did, for he took her hand and gave it small squeeze.

The simple gesture seemed to give Dara the courage she needed. " Let's do it", she stated, sapphire-eyes flaming. " It 'bout time to put an end to this."

Shelly nodded. " Okay then. It's time to go in." She looked at Kai. " But first, there's something we need to talk about – alone."

* * *

Time seemed to move unnaturally slowly as furiously trembling Dara answered to one agonising question of Gregojev and Tshadov's after another. It had taken for unbearably long, but her testimony finally begun to approach its end. 

" I understood that you and Kai knew each other when you were children", Tshadov stated.

Dara nodded. " That's right. I… I was taken to the Abbey from Japan two months later than he'd been dragged there, after Boris… killed my sister. But… we were friends even before that." A blush sneaked up to her cheeks. " We… We became very close."

" Can you tell me what happened next?"

Dara's eyes flashed with pain. " Boris found out about our… relationship. And – as you already know – no form of friendship was allowed in the Abbey. That's why Voltaire took Kai away."

Tshadov nodded. " And what happened to you?"

Dara looked at Kai with panic-filled eyes, and the boy gave her an reassuring smile.

" Miss Petrova, answer the question", the judge prompted her.

Dara's eyes slipped closed, and a tear escaped them as she replied, reliving the horrible time.

* * *

/ _A loud yelp escaped Dara's lips as Voltaire pushed a burning cigarette to the bare skin of her arm, causing a burn-mark that would never heal. " You made a big mistake, brat. You should've known better than to mangle with my possession", the man hissed into her ear in Russian._

_She looked at him, tear-filled eyes full of hatred. " Kai doesn't belong to you, asshole", she growled. " He will come back. You can never keep me away from him."_

_Voltaire punched her face, so hard that she almost lost consciousness. " Foolish child… I shall teach you respect…" The man leaned close, eyes burning with this insane fire of rage and jealousy. " He belongs to me, Dara. Only to me. And I will make damn sure you'll never touch him again."_

_With that, he tore her clothes apart, and after a while loud screams of pain echoed in the walls of the Abbey._

_She must've blacked out at some point of the torment, because the next thing she realized was that she was in a closet-like, pitch-black cell in the basement-floor. Her both hands were trapped by heavy, metallic chains so that she was hanging from the ceiling, her toes just barely reaching the filthy, blood-stained floor below her. She cried out in the pain that flooded through her as she futilely tried to move herself into a better position._

_" Can anyone hear me?" she called out in a desperate voice that shivered with all the agony that filled her entire being. Salty tears rolled as there was no reply, stinging like hell when encountering with the wounds on her cheeks. " Please, anyone… Help me… Please…"_

_But for three days, no one came, and the only sound she heard was her sobs._ /

* * *

" He… did the same thing to me again countless of times, enjoyed it when he could… use me like an object whenever he wanted to." She bravely bit back tears. " To him, I was his property, a piece of meat. He made that perfectly clear." She wiped her tears away with a terribly shaking hand. " After those… events… I haven't had a pretty much single night without nightmares of him." 

" Alright." Tshadov smiled to her. " You may step down."

" Does prosecution have any more witnesses?" the judge inquired as Dara went.

" Yes, we have, your honour. Two more, to be exact." She held a short pause. " Prosecution would like to call Sayuki Kon to take a stand."

* * *

The entire world was spinning for Ray as he stared at his mother taking a seat, a look of something close to fear upon her face. 

So this was why his mother hadn't taken him away from Japan immediately…

" Mrs. Kon, I understood that you've had business with Biovolt corporation."

The woman's eyes flashed. " Yes."

Ray thought he would throw up or collapse as the single word hit him like a sledgehammer.

His mother… had worked for those bastards?

_Oh dear God…_

Only the reassuring, tight hold of Alissa's hand kept him from slipping into darkness. He squeezed back with a desperate force, tears of disappointment and anger rimming his eyes.

" Back then, I didn't know what Biovolt was really up to. When… When Voltaire Hiwatari asked me to design a beyblade for a perfect blader, I didn't hesitate. After all, he promised that my family would never have to worry about financial issues again if I worked for him", his mother kept explaining, voice filled with disgust. " And… so I made the blade flawless. In the process… it felt like something… sinister had taken me over – perhaps it was the spirit of Black Dranzer, perhaps it was my own greed and ambitiousness, I… I still don't know. I worked day and night, never tiring out. Somewhere along the way, I think I… sensed Voltaire's intentions, but… I was too deep, too wrapped up. And soon, Black Dranzer was ready. It wasn't until that day – when I saw the one it was meant for and sensed the horrifyingly strong link between him and Black Dranzer – that I realized what I'd done."

Tshadov nodded, eyes wandering to the judge. " That would be all."

" Alright, then." The judge looked at the defensive lawyer. " Mr. Gregojev, do you have any questions?"

" Only two, your honour." The man's eyes once again shone dangerously as he approached the woman. " Mrs. Kon, exactly how strong is Kai Hiwatari? Do you think he could've… taken over the world with Black Dranzer?"

Sayuki's eyes were filled with a mixture of fear, disgust and strange excitement as they met Kai's flaming ones. " Yes. That I do believe", she almost whispered, voice shuttering. " Without a doubt."

" Do you think Kai and Black Dranzer can be separated? That they can… get rid of each other?"

This dark, chilling light filled Sayuki's eyes as she slowly shook her head. " No. Like I said, I saw this… bond being born when Kai first saw the blade, and Black Dranzer. Their bound to each other – without one, there can't be another." Her eyes once again locked to Kai's. " They can't be broken apart. That's the way it is – until eternity and after."

* * *

When Tyson first heard the name of the last witness, he thought it was some cruel joke, that someone was messing up with him. 

But as he stared at his father approaching the bench and sitting down, he felt his insides squeeze into this tight ball and turn very cold, icy. A desperate breath escaped his throat as it was almost impossible to breath. " No…"

" Mr. Granger, this man was found shot to dead four days ago." Tshadov handed the man a picture. " Do you recognize him?"

Joshua's eyes flashed with barely controllable fury. " Yes, I do. His name is, or was, Igor Sparov. I… I worked with him for some months five years ago." His eyes squinted, the hatred in them growing so much that it scared Tyson. " That was, until I found out he was working for Biovolt. I… I barely managed to escape him, and called up the police to arrest him, but… he disappeared."

Tshadov gave a small nod. " What exactly did you two work with?"

A flash of pain and quilt came to Joshua's eyes. " I've been researching bit-beasts for years, so… I know everything about them – every flaw, every strength. That's… what he wanted. I… though he was also a researcher, but… He was trying to find a way… to make bladers just as strong as their bit-beasts, invincible." He gulped thickly, chills running down his spine. " I… helped him create the cyber implants. I helped him produce… perfect, emotionless warriors – monsters – that would wipe everything out of their way."

The words kept rolling on, but Tyson barely paid attention to them.

For such a long time… his father had claimed hating the work his mother had done – the work that had taken his mother's life. And now…

Horrifying hatred and threatening tears squeezed his tight throat as he rapidly bounced up. Faster than Max's outstretched hand could stop him, he rushed out.

A silent tear slid down Joshua's face as the door made a hollow sound when closing after his son.

* * *

How his feet found their way into the place he hadn't visited for years, Tyson had no idea. Even more cloudy was for how long he'd been slumped to the ground, entire body shivering and tears rolling. 

_Noriko Amira Granger_, the tombstone before him said.

He sniffed. " Mom… I… I'm sorry I haven't visited, but…" He shook his head in frustration, not finding the words he wanted to say. " It's just so complicated."

" I'm glad you finally came here." His father's voice made his entire body tense. " She… She would've wanted you to."

His eyes were filled tears and bitter hatred as he glared at his father. For several times he opened his mouth, attempting to cry out a long, venomous list of insults. But eventually, only one word pushed itself through. " Why?"

His father seemed to be fighting against tears as well. " I… I meant what I said in the courtroom. I didn't know who Sparov was, what… what he did to those poor kids. If I had…" He shook his head.

Tyson nodded, turning his disappointed gaze away. That reply definitely hadn't satisfied him, not by a long-shot.

After a moment's silence, his father went on, voice filled with agony. " Tyson… After your mother died, and even before that… I just… I thought those kids were murderers. That… they were the ones who took her away." It could've been a sob he heard. " Tyson, you need to understand that… that Kai… was the first proof I received of that something… good could come out of that hell. He… he proved to me that there can be humanity even in places like that. He… taught me to trust." There were tears in his eyes. " That's way I… want to look after him, too. I… I owe that much to him."

Tyson nodded dazedly, mind buzzing with incoherent thoughts. Tears trickled to his cheeks.

Lately… There'd been just too much. All that stuff with Kai, all those secrets revealed about his family and its connections with the Abbey, his mess with Max…

Joshua felt his heart shatter as he watched his son break down into tears, entire body quaking. Hesitantly, he approached the boy and gently, carefully, kneeled down to his level, pulling his son into a comforting embrace. Still crying, Tyson didn't make a move to fight back.

And first time in years, there was finally a real connection between them. All secrets had been revealed, all doors were wide open. Now… all they had to do was to cope with it.

From heaven's up above, Noriko watched them with a soft, proud smile upon her face.

* * *

Alissa had never been shivering the way she was while sitting before a huge, wooden desk. This time, there were only few people present. Aside her, there was a judge, the mean-looking head of the orphanage – Suzume Ameretasu – plus a prosecutor and her lawyer, Kiko Takashi. " Alright. At first, I want to make sure you all know this isn't a official session just yet, only a hearing", the judge stated, skimming through her papers. " So, Miss Ivanov… How do you think you'd be able to support a child?" 

" I… I just got a job as a saleswoman in a local beyblade-store of Mr. Tate's, your honour. So… I've got regular income", she replied. " And… As soon as I can, I'll start studies in a local university. I'll become a doctor."

" And she isn't going to be taking care of her daughter alone, your honour", suddenly came Mr. Dickinson's voice. The man was stood by the doorway, seeming embarrassed. " I'm sorry to intrude, but… I just received some papers you might consider important."

Nodding, the judge gave him a permission to approach. Taking the papers, she read them through, arching an eyebrow. " These are adoption-documents." She looked at the elder man. " Mr. Dickinson, are you sure about this?"

There was no doubt in his eyes as he nodded. " She's already like a grandchild to me – they all are. I'll do everything that's in my power to finally give them the life they deserve."

The judge also nodded, then looked at all the other people in room. " It seems this trial won't be needed after all. Mr. Dickinson here has just legally adopted both Alissa Ivanov and her daughter Pia Ivanov, along with Kai Hiwatari, Tala Ivanov, Bryan Kuznetsov and Dimitrei Balkov."

Suzume immediately bounced up, eyes flaming. " You can't be serious!" she screeched, pointing at Alissa. " This brat gave her own child away! She's a criminal who doesn't care about anyone but herself!"

Alissa heard the stinging words only absently. Her heart was thumping with absolute shock and disbelief.

Mr. D… was giving her a home – her and Pia? This hellish ordeal… was actually over?

Blinking, still in total daze, she turned her gaze to the man. " I… I don't know how I'll ever be able to repay you…", she whispered.

He smiled. " There's no need to worry about that." _I think it's about time for you to have something good in your life_, he secretly thought.

Smiling with this utter, absolutely relief, Alissa walked up to him, and they started to leave. Just before out the door, she suddenly paused and glared at Suzume. " And for your information… I do love my daughter, more than I love anything in this damn world. And even if it's the last thing I do, I'll prove it to you." So saying, she left.

* * *

Voltaire could only wonder who his mysterious visitor could possibly be as he was dragged towards a small, tightly observed room much later that nigh. 

A small, dangerous smile came to his lips as he entered the room. " Well, well. I knew you wouldn't be able to stay away for long." He took a look at the walking stick. " Your… battle-marks will always bound you to me."

" No, Voltaire." Kai's voice was cool and steady, eyes blazed in such a way that it made his heart leap. " I came to tell you that I've finally let go. I'm ready to go."

He snorted. " Go where?" A flash passed his eyes. " Face it, Kai: you'll always belong to me. No matter how little you like the idea, you'll never be rid of me."

A smile came to Kai's face as the boy shook his head. " You see, that's the beauty of it, Voltaire: I'm free now. The nightmare is finally over." A flame of fury went through him as he watched the boy take off his beautiful, golden ring – the emblem of the Hiwatari family. It fell to the floor with a clinking sound. Giving the ring a one more look, the boy turned around and started to walk away. " Goodbye." And as the echo of the merciless word died down, the boy was long gone.

At first, Voltaire shivered from rage as he stared at the closed door, unable to believe that Kai had actually done this to him. But then, slowly, a smile came to his face.

Soon enough, Kai's spirit _would_ be his – even if it meant the destruction of the Phoenix.

No one else would have what was his.

A cruel, almost demonic smirk came to his lips, and a dark light lit into his soulless eyes. " Farewell to you too."

* * *

**Three days later.**

As the trial against Voltaire and Boris took a couple of week's break, the gang decided that it was finally time to grasp on the old routines – training, and most of all school, which they'd paid barely any attention to during the past months. And there was also a huge buzz going on as the Russians tried to get used to their new lives in Japan, and Alissa was getting used to really being a parent. Not to mention the new life growing inside Dara, of which Kai still had no idea.

It was evening as the gang stood by Mr. Dickinson's private jet. Tyson clung to Kai tightly, and the others were worried that the bluenette might suffocate his still recovering team-captain. " Promise me to come back in one piece, or I swear to you, I'll haunt you down and kick your sorry ass."

Kai smiled slightly. " I promise."

With Voltaire in prison and waiting for the end of his trial, his possessions had to be taken care of. As the oldest heir, it was Kai's job. But unfortunately, it meant that the boy would have to go to Russia – away from all friends and security. Of course he had two bodyguards going with him (against which he'd – to no avail – loudly protested), but the gang couldn't help feeling worried. They were dealing with Voltaire Hiwatari, after all. Even impossible was possible for that monster. And it was no news how badly Voltaire wanted to have revenge against the boy.

As Tyson finally let go of Kai (receiving a murderous 'we'll talk about this later' – look from Max), Alissa smiled to Kai. " I'm also expecting you to come back in one piece. No stupidities. Understood?" Despite the smile, it was easy to tell just how worried the girl was.

" And we're expecting you to call us every day and report that you're alright", Max added.

Kai rolled his eyes. " Give me a break…", he muttered, holding back a smile. As the others kept looking at him sternly, he sighed in defeat. " Okay, okay, I promise to call you, as long as it makes you stop looking at me like that."

" And remember to practice", Kenny continued, knowing perfectly well that it wasn't necessary to tell the Russian.

Kai smirked. " That's my line, Chief."

" And I'm sure Tala will make us train our asses out back here", Bryan stated.

Tala gave the boy a dangerous grin. " That remark of yours just earned you five more kilometres to run – along with the eight you'll all take."

Smirking at the others' loud complains, Kai and Tala shared a quick hug. " You know what?" Kai whispered into Tala's ear in Russian, not wanting the others to hear. " I'm glad it was you Nadja chose. Remember that."

He could almost see Tala's huge, relieved smile. " Thank you."

As they parted, it was Ray's turn to hug Kai. " Take care of yourself, okay?" Ray whispered to him. He thought he heard tears in the neko-jin's voice, but might've imagined it.

" I will." He gave a small sigh, then spoke so quietly that the others couldn't hear. " You should tell them you're leaving, too."

He could imagine the look of shock upon Ray's face, and inwardly smirked smugly, despite the bang of sadness over the thought of Ray leaving. Had Ray really thought he wouldn't know? " I… I can't, not right now. I'll let them say bye to you first", the neko-jin murmured.

Some moments later Nadja wrapped her arms around Kai's slender form, and it soon became clear that the girl wouldn't let go easily. " Be careful or I'll fry your ass", the girl muttered into his shoulder.

He smiled, though Nadja couldn't see it, gently stroking her hair. " I will. I have no intention not to when we have so many things to sort out."

The others looked away subtly as Dara took a step forward, standing right before Kai. Her eyes glimmering with unshed tears, she brushed Kai's face softly with her fingers, almost like memorising how his skin felt. Giving this unbelievably sad, small smile, he gently took her smaller hand into his, circling his fingers around it.

Closing his stinging eyes and leaning his forehead against Dara's, he whispered softly in Russian. " I will come back, whatever it takes."

Dara didn't hear herself sniff as she squeezed Kai's hand tightly, desperately. " You'll better keep that promise."

She could feel him nod against her forehead. Something close to disappointment ran through her as the boy suddenly let go of her. It was, however, soon replaced by shivers of pleasure when his fingers brushed the sensitive spot in her neck, enlacing something. " Take good care of it while I'm gone, okay?"

In deep confusion, she distanced herself from him just a little to see what she'd put around her neck – and felt her heart jolt when seeing his ruby-necklace.

Only once had Kai shown her trust like this before, given her such a gift…

Eyes filled with daze, she looked up at him. " I will." For this brief moment, she was close to telling him about the baby, but quickly silenced the almost overpowering desire. No matter how much she wouldn't wanted to tell him he was a father, he already had enough in his head – especially now that he was forced to leave. Another shock… was the last thing he needed.

Kai looked at her, perhaps slightly worriedly. " What is it?"

She had to work hard to suppress threatening tears. " Just… Come back to me in one piece, 'k? Because… There's something amazing I need to tell you when you get back."

He smiled and nodded, giving her cheek a one last stroke. There was something in his eyes she'd never seen before. " I won't break promises. Not ever."

With that, Kai turned around and walked up the stairs that lead into the jet, followed by his two guards. Once up, he took a one last look at his friends before disappearing from their sight. And then the door closed.

* * *

What the gang didn't know was that not too far away, dressed up as a technician, a man with greasy, black hair slowly walked away, pretty much dismissed by everyone. 

While walking, Valdo grinned arrogantly, revealing a row of yellow teeth. His blue eyes flashed dangerously.

_Mission accomplished._

* * *

The same night, about three hours after Kai's leaving and one after Ray's, the entire gang had gathered into Tyson's dojo. The mood was… sentimental, to say the least, with both Kai and Ray having made their departures. 

After having a rather vivid discussion over the issue of loyalty, jealousy and trust, Tyson and Max had retreated into the living-room, and were now lazing around on the couch. Bryan had gone off somewhere to practice – and to clear his head, everyone knew. Tala and Nadja were sitting before the fireplace in each other's arms, talking quietly in Russian. Dara had withdrawn into loneliness with Dimitrei, understandably wanting some time to think things over.

The last tears had already dried to Alissa's cheeks as she sat on the porch with legs brought against her chest, shivering from the cold night-wind that bit down to the core of her being. Giving a small, shuttering sigh, she lifted her gaze to the stars up above, wondering if they looked the same to Ray…

She suddenly jumped as there was a sound of door being opened. After a small while, Dara slowly and soundlessly took a seat beside her, her gaze also on the stars.

It took a long while before Dara finally broke the silence." You miss him like hell, don't you?"

She nodded slightly, eyes filling with pain. " Two years is such a long time to wait, Dara." She was surprised to find something moist sneaking down her cheeks. " I… I just don't know…"

There was this slightly sad look upon Dara's face. " Give him – you both – faith, Lissa." Suddenly remembering something, she searched through her pockets, then handed her something. " He'll come back to you, he told me to give you his word – along with this."

A small smile came to Alissa's face as she took the offering. It was Ray's bit-chip, shining like a indestructible diamond in the dim moonlight. The chip glowed with recognition and acceptance under her fingertips.

Her smile widened, and gently, like the most valuable treasure, she put the chip into her pocket's safety, finally starting to believe…

After a while she looked back at Dara, and felt a bang of quilt when seeing the anxious look upon her face as she gazed at the sky. It wasn't until then she realized that Dara, too, was missing someone. " Kai will also come back", she assured, smiling. " To you both."

Dara's eyes were filled with shock as she looked at her. " How did you…?"

She grinned. " I'm a mom, too. I know the signs, having been there." Her eyes twinkled. "I think that somehow, Kai knows, too. And there's nothing that could keep him away from his child."

Slowly, a small, hesitant smile came to Dara's face. " Thanks."

As warm silence engulfed them, both suddenly had the feeling that everything would work out after all.

" Dara, Lissa, get your asses in here!" Tyson's shriek suddenly woke them up from their thoughts.

* * *

Bryan's eyes were intently fixed to his blade that made beautiful, perfect circles on the ground, neatly cutting wood and plants on its way. 

His concentration was suddenly shattered as another, disturbingly familiar golden blade zoomed in, striking his so powerfully that it was thrown back into his hand. Frowning deeply, he spotted a figure hiding in the shadows. " Come out, or are you afraid of a real battle?" he growled.

There was a small laughter. " Tough words from someone who just got ambushed like some rookie", a female voice told him in Russian. " You've gotten careless since we last met, Kuznetsov."

His frown deepened, hands clenched into fists as he prepared himself to fight. " Who the heck are you? How do you know my name?"

" That's not a nice way to talk to an old friend", she lectured him, finally emerging. When she spoke next, her voice was soft, filled with tenderness. " Hey, Bry. It's been a while."

The gasp that escaped him was the loudest he'd ever made. " Oh my God…"

She'd changed so little, despite the new scars that could be seen on her bare arms… Her hair-colour had turned from brown to ginger, but the auburn eyes that had enchanted him the moment he'd met her were still the same…

" Jelena…"

* * *

Dara and Alissa had worried looks upon their faces as they entered the dojo. Everyone else had already gathered around the TV. The mood was close to grave. 

On the TV screen stood a red-haired woman in her thirties, standing before a stormy ocean.

" The soon continuing trial against Russia's most wanted criminals Voltaire Hiwatari and Boris Balkov just got a new, horrible twist. An hour ago, a private-jet carrying the case's witness and Voltaire's grandson, Kai Hiwatari, crashed into the ocean behind me. Along with Kai Hiwatari, his two bodyguards and the pilot went into depths. No one is believed to have survived."

* * *

TBC.

* * *

A/N: Oh crap… (desperately runs for cover) Am I really doing this to you guys? 34 chapters, about 270 pages (seriously!) – and I'm giving you a sad ending? 

Only one chapter remaining, people! (Geez, I can't believe this is almost over!) Stay tuned for that one – and **PLEASE** hit me with a review! You know they mean a world to me!

Until next time!

(In case you're wondering – section…

It was mentioned that Tyson's grandpa was a stranger to him when he was a kid, because it's true. His grandpa and father were always at each others' throats, remember?

And NO, there was absolutely nothing romantic between Tyson and Kai – tough if you want to see such a thing, I can't really stop you… But it was cute to see Max jealous, wasn't it?) (grins)

(1) Remember Igor Sparov? He was that creepy doctor who almost killed Dara. He'll be mentioned again later in this chapter.

(2) I counted even Dizzi, as she wasn't trapped into Kenny's laptop at the time. That makes five… right? (By the way, I hope you didn't hate the idea of the bit-beasts bringing to the team together. It just sounded… sensible to me.)

(3) In case you're wondering, yes. I'm referring to Boris beating Tala up and ditching him into the river.

(4) Just in case you're curious… Kai's tattoo was 1-7-5-6.


	35. Epilogue

A/N: Yes, your eyes are seeing correctly. It **IS** completed – the final chapter is finally here! (almost faints in shock)

Alright, as you most likely just want to get onto the business (hey, put those knives and stones away!), I'll cut this short. (There'll be a longer 'speech' at the end.) I just want to give a huge thank you for those ego-bursting reviews of yours! (hugs)

Okay, so here it is, dear readers! The end! At first, you'll get a few flashback explaining what happened during the missing years (and find out if Sayuri got the hamster), and then…

* * *

Chapter 35: Epilogue

**Eight years later.**

/ _Nurse Tisha Iyami smiled widely as she carefully gave the new-born baby from her arms to its awaiting young mother, who was also smiling through her tears. " Congratulations, Dara. You have a healthy baby-boy", she said, still smiling. " Does he have a name yet?"_

_Dara nodded, looking at the baby's beautiful auburn eyes that already seemed to have a flame in them. There was only one name in her mind. " Yes", she whispered, tears running down her cheeks as the baby graphed her finger, squeezing determinedly. " He's Hakuoh – 'White Phoenix'"_ /

* * *

/ _Seventeen-years-old Ray gave a loud, wrenching scream of pain when yet another bottle was aimed at his already battered body, the pieces piercing skin. " So you thought you could leave and bring this family into disgrace, didn't you?" This time, it was a stone-hard fist that struck him, and he sunk onto the bathroom-floor that was stained by splatters of his blood, hitting his head along the way. Black dots danced upon his vision. " You are not a child anymore! You are somebody's fiancé, damnit – you have responsibilities! You can't run away like some coward or a fool anymore!"_

_Ray's eyes squeezed tightly shut with pain, both physical and mental. Desperately, he mentally screamed out a name._

_Lissa!_

_Gods, he couldn't take this anymore… He wanted to get to her, wanted to so badly that it was killing him…_

" _Everyone else is out celebrating your engagement, and what do I find?!" his father kept bellowing. " You, packing a suitcase, about to leave for some… slut!"_

_Golden eyes filled with hatred and foolish bravery, he met his father's enraged gaze. If he wouldn't be allowed to see Alissa, what was there left to be afraid of? " I… hate… you…", he hissed, a trail of blood leaking as he'd bit his lip when falling down. " I… will go… to her… There's nothing… you can do about it… you bastard…"_

_His father's eyes flashed. " Oh, do you really think so?" Ray's heart jumped as the man pulled out a long, sharp knife. " It seems that she and that foolish blading have blinded you from seeing your true destiny." The eyes darkened, turned sinister, as the man approached. " There's nothing I can do to erase her from your mind, but I can make damn sure you'll never blade again."_

_**¨**_

_Ray didn't know for how long he'd been straying in grey, when a scream suddenly broke into his clouded consciousness. " Ray!"_

_Slowly, with difficulty, his eyelids twitched open – and a gasp escaped him, though it hurt like hell due to his injuries, as he saw the blurry figure hovering above him. " Lissa…"_

_Mariah had never before felt such panic she did when falling to bleeding Ray's side. There were wounds all the boy's shivering body – most of them caused by the shards of all the alcohol-bottles thrown at him, and punches that had almost shattered his face – plus one particularly nasty cut on his head that'd evidently came when he'd fallen and hit it to door's sharp corner. His white outfit was stained by blood. But worst was that one of his fingers had been cut away – the one he needed to launch a beyblade._

_Shiver of disgust ran through Mariah._

_How could anyone do this to his own son?_

" _Lissa?"_

_Ray's small, weak voice almost scared her, but the fright quickly turned into a huge bang of pain and disappointment. Gosh, how much she'd given if it'd been her name he called… If it'd been she he wanted… " No", she whispered, taking his hand that had a plain, golden ring on it – the same kind she had on her finger. " It's me. Mariah."_

_If she'd thought she'd been in pain before, it became thousand times worse as she saw all fire, passion and happiness die from Ray's golden eyes, leaving them lifeless and hollow. In a chilling way, she was almost relieved when they closed as he drifted out of consciousness, baring her from the sight._

_She was brought out of those thoughts by the furious, outraged voice of Ray's father. " Let me go, damnit!" he roared at the serene police-officer handcuffing him. " Can't you see?! I had to do it! He… He was going to leave his fiancée for that bitch! I wasn't going to let that happen!"_

" _Mariah…" Sayuki's miserable, teary voice ripped her attention away from the man. Tears were running down the woman's cheeks. " I… I'm sorry… I didn't know, I swear… I would've called the police sooner… if I had."_

_Her own eyes filled with tears (some of which spilled), Mariah shook her head. " Get away from here." She squeezed Ray's hand tightly, desperately. " It's your fault he's here, so… don't you dare come and tell me this isn't your fault. You were the one who dragged him here." She started to tremble with pain. " You were the one who forced him to…"_

" _Miss, could you please move? We need space", a medic interrupted her._

_She nodded dazedly and moved away, reluctance written all over her face. World was spinning in her eyes as she watched the medics working on Ray, treating his wounds and putting an oxygen mask onto his terrifyingly pale face._

_She had no idea of for how long she'd been standing there, when she suddenly realized that there were eyes looking at her. Turning her gaze, she found Sayuri still standing right behind her, pain and sorrow plastered all over her face._

_At that moment, her rage and pain were no longer in her control. Cat's eyes squinting, she screamed at the suffering woman. " Didn't you see what you were doing to him when you ripped him away from all his friends, from…!" She still couldn't speak Alissa's name, which made the fury in her eyes grow. " None of this would've happened without you!"_

_Sayuki's eyes widened, she looked like she'd been punched in the face. " Mariah…"_

_Tears ran through her cheeks. " Don't you ever show your face around here again!" With that she ran away – ignoring the medics working on Ray, ignoring Sayuri's shouts of protest, ignoring the fact that she could barely stand. And at that one, single moment, her entire world crumbled apart._

_**¨**_

_The next time Ray opened his eyes, he groaned in agony as piercing light attacked them. For this short moment, he closed them, until he suddenly felt that he wasn't alone…_

_Head drowsy from all the medication given to him, he again inched his eyelids – and felt his heart literally jump as he saw Alissa sitting next to his bed, hesitant look upon her face. Her hand was gently clasping one of his._

_At first, he was too shocked over seeing her to react. Then, slowly, a small, relieved smile came to his face. She first returned it, squeezing his hand a little more tightly, until a look utter shock, pain and betrayal came to her face as she felt his ring._

_In a painful flash of a moment, she understood. Ray's mother had succeeded in finding him a suitable wife after all._

_Tears rimming in her eyes, she jumped up, attempting to run away – until his strong, frantic hold prevented her. Her face was filled with surprise as she looked at him, eyes questioning, not quite ready to believe just yet._

_Offering another smile, Ray tightened his hold on her. He'd never let go again._

_Very slowly, a small, exhausted smile came to Alissa's lips as well, and her fingers linked with his._

_**¨**_

_Mariah's hands were trembling uncontrollably as she held her golden engagement-ring – or chain, as she preferred to call it – an inch from throwing it into the pitch-black depths of a pond nearby. Her eyes – from which tears still escaped – shone with frantic hope._

_It would've been so easy, so very tempting…_

" _M – Mariah?"_

_Startled, she quickly turned her gaze – and felt these strange shivers go through her from head to toe as she saw the familiar boy standing nearby, deeply hesitant look upon his face._

_Her eyes filled with bewilderment. " Michael?"_

_Michael's heart wrenched as he saw the lost, defeated look upon the female neko-jin's face. During the three months he'd been living in China, she'd became… a dear friend to him – perhaps even more. It hurt almost more than he could bear to see her like this._

_At first, he thought about asking what was wrong, but then decided that it wouldn't be a smart idea. It'd most likely once again involve Ray's parents, and at the moment, he didn't want to get onto a killing rampage._

_So, without saying a word, he took a seat beside Mariah, and gently as ever took her small hand, closing it protectively into his. A sob escaped Mariah as she exhaustedly leaned her head against his shoulder._

_And at that silent moment, both could feel something gently slide to place._

_Unbeknownst to them, their bit-beasts shone triumphantly in the safety of their pockets, their lights tangling together._ /

* * *

Dara gave a sigh of relief upon discovering that the worst rush-hour of lunchtime had ceased, and her small restaurant was finally quiet. " Hilary, Kayo, I'm going now", she announced to her two waitresses. " Hilary, are you coming, too?"

The brunette smiled. " I'm sorry, but I've got a meeting tonight. Wish Pia luck for me, though."

Lifting her gaze from the table she'd been wiping, Kayo – a young woman with purple eyes and frost-blue hair – also gave a small smile. " See you tomorrow, Mrs. Ichiami."

Dara grinned warmly. " How many times do I have to say it's Dara?"

A lot had changed after the plane-crash of Kai's, for the entire gang, but especially for her. She was now a mother of three – of a son Hakuoh and daughter Malaya's, and also Dimitrei's. She'd adopted the boy as soon as it'd been possible: it had been a logical choice, as she was pretty much the only person left in world the boy trusted. With the security of new surname, she'd started a new life with her husband, and opened a small restaurant in Japan, where only her closest friends knew about her painful past. Overcoming the traumatising first fifteen years of her life was hard enough even without strangers sticking their noses into her life.

Logically, she'd hired Hilary Tatibana as one of the waitresses. The Japanese brunette had appeared into the Bladebreakers as a new member after the team had lost two bladers, and had quickly proven that she and her bit-beast Biangali – a breathtakingly beautiful lynx with this glowing, almost like golden fur – deserved their place in the team – despite the fact that she and Tyson were constantly at each others' throats.

Dara's train of thoughts stopped when the door of the restaurant burst open, and two kids – and a boy at the age of almost eight, and a five-years-old girl – rushed in. She couldn't help but laugh as the two ran to her and started to pull her with them towards the door. Hakuoh's burgundy eyes were flashing with excitement. " C'mon, mom! We're gonna be late!"

She laughed again. " Hold your horses! I just take my coat and I'm good to go, alright?" She suddenly grew very solemn, sapphire eyes darkening. " Besides… There's some place we need to go first, remember?" Her voice was just above whisper, eyes glimmered dangerously. " It's… it's the anniversary."

Understanding the pain their mother was going through, the kids nodded and became serious as well, forgetting their previous rush. This was definitely not the day to get cranky: their mother had it hard enough as it was.

Kayo had a small frown of wonder upon her face as she watched the kids sitting down and talking quietly. The girl didn't specifically catch her attention, although she was strikingly beautiful. She had long, deep-purple hair that fell wildly down her back, plus a pair of sharp, almost like electric jade-green eyes. She was wearing this short, navy-blue skirt with a white shirt, plus had a also blue scarf wrapped around her neck. But the boy… He had wild, two-toned hair and a pair of distantly familiar, burgundy eyes that seemed like fire itself. He was wearing a pair of black pants and a dark-blue shirt, plus brown jacket.

There was something so familiar about him, almost like she'd seen him somewhere before… Had she seen someone who'd looked exactly like him? Damnit, she was so close to grasping onto it…

Just then Dara came back, snapping her awake from her thoughts. Giving a small smile, she waved to the three as they disappeared.

Hilary's eyes flashed a bit as she watched her boss and friend disappear, feeling her heart beat furiously against her ribcage. Her slightly widened eyes followed Hakuoh as he went.

_Damnit…_

" Kayo, could you cover me for a minute?" she muttered. " I… I've gotta go to a bathroom."

Not paying much of attention to her, the younger woman nodded, and she rushed to the backroom. Once there, she hurriedly picked up her cell-phone, dialling numbers.

Luckily, it didn't take for long before there was an answer. " _Hilary?_"

" We've got a problem." She gulped loudly. " It's beginning."

* * *

Rays of sun shining through thick, ancient trees gave the graveyard a tranquil, almost magical glow as Dara slowly kneeled before a tombstone, carefully placing one perfect, white rose before it. Some tears spilled to her cheeks as she brushed the cool stone with her fingertips.

For a longest moment Dara was silent, trying to find the right words. When she spoke, her voice was small and shaky. " I miss you", she whispered, hoping deeply that the one the words were meant for could somehow hear them. She gave a weak laughter as she wiped away the one tear that had escaped. " I know that you would hate to see me crying, but I can't help it." She sniffed, and inhaling some deep, shivering breaths managed to struggle back some of her composure. " I'm sorry that I haven't visited, but… It hurts, you know? It hurts too much. Every time I come all the wounds open again, and…." She couldn't carry on, but she believed that she'd been understood. Sobbing, she let some of the grief be replaced by anger. " This… This is just so unfair, you know? Life is so damn unfair!" Her eyes flashed. " But… You should know that they were sentenced, both of them. Voltaire and Boris… They got a heavy punishment for what they did to you and everyone else. The nightmare is over. They'll never hurt anyone again." Another tear rolled, but this time she didn't reach her hand out to wipe it away. Instead she brushed the stone again, wishing that it had been soft, warm skin instead. " But no punishment is ever going to bring you back, ne? It… It was good to see them get what they deserved, but no punishment covers everything." More tears rolled, she wiped them away. " Not every loss can be replaced." In a sudden thought, she kissed her fingers and placed them onto the rose she'd brought, sending the kiss into heaven above. " I love you, always will. And I'll never forget you. I promise you that."

A small smile crept to her lips when she suddenly heard approaching steps. Wiping away the escaped tears, she turned her head and smiled to the undeniably handsome thirteen-years-old boy approaching her. " C'mon, Dara. We've gotta go or we'll be late from the battle."

" Just a sec, Dimi", she told him gently. " Why don't you go back to the car and wait there with Hakuoh and Malaya, I'll be there soon."

Dimitrei nodded. " 'K."

As the boy walked away, Dara took a moment to look at him. Over years, the boy had become a strong blader. That was mostly owing to his several 'uncles' and 'aunts', who'd showed astonishing devotion with training him. And gosh, the boy had also grown up to be good-looking. His burgundy hair – which had grown to meet his shoulders – were on a careless ponytail, and the black leather jacket he always wore (no matter what the weather), black fingerless gloves, jeans and the metallic chain wrapped around his neck made him look both tough and attractive – plus half over his age. A pair of big, passionate brown eyes made it all perfect.

She was grateful that the boy remembered hardly anything of the time he'd spent in Boris and Voltaire's hands. She wanted no child to suffer the nightmares and traumas she had.

Still smiling, Dara turned her gaze to look at the tombstone once more. " I'll come back some day, alright?" The brushed the stone and got up to her shaking legs. " Bye." A quivering smile came to her features, eyes glimmered once again. " Never goodbye." With that she turned around and walked away without looking back, knowing that if she'd turn around, she would've crumbled down completely.

If she had looked back, she would've seen a beautiful, white dove that landed onto the tombstone and looked at her, almost like guarding her steps. As she slowly slid into the waiting car and gave both Malaya and Hakuoh's foreheads a kiss (ignoring the children's' protesting), the bird rose to its beautiful wings and disappeared.

* * *

The first sound heard in the huge, beautifully-decorated house was a loud, definitely unhappy moan, followed by a quiet " Just kill me now…"

Max, who was also slowly waking up, had a huge, unpitying grin upon his face as he gently stroke the disheveled bush of blue hair that could barely be seen from under the blanket. " Becoming a parent is exhausting, huh?"

After six years of marriage, Tyson and Max had decided that they were finally ready for the huge step called adoption. They'd found a beautiful, three-months-old baby-boy named Aden – who's father was dead, and mother a drug-addict who was currently in prison – from America, and decided that the child was well worth the paper-war. Without telling any of their friends in Japan about the plan, they'd secretly traveled to America for a 'business-trip' a month earlier. Luckily, Jax and his soon-to-be husband Steven had been able to offer them a place to stay in. And finally – after decades, it had seemed to them – Aden had became their son the day before.

Very slowly and cautiously, Tyson's head came into view. Blue eyes squinted angrily to the light that assaulted them. " When did our jet land to Japan again? Two hours ago?" His stormy eyes, however, immediately softened as he watched the small baby sleeping soundly in a nearby cradle. " He's well worth it all, though."

Max smirked. " Even the countless of sleepless nights like this?"

Tyson smiled in a way that couldn't be described in any other word but goofy. " Most definitely", the young man proclaimed, then sighed and buried himself tightly with the blanket again. " But if you try to wake me up during the next ten hours, I'll kill you – even if it would make me a single-parent."

Looking at his husband, Max decided that only one thing could wake Tyson.

" Max Aaron Tate, you are seriously testing my nerves right now", Tyson growled as the blonde trailed soft kisses down his neck, almost driving him crazy.

" Oh, don't give me that", Max purred, going on with his activities. " We both know when you use my full name, and it's _not_ when you're annoyed…"

Feeling himself grow powerless under temptation, Tyson took a desperate look at his alarm-clock from under his blankets. Damnit, he had ended up oversleeping after all. " We'll be late from the battle…" Despite the storming heat Max's kisses were lighting inside of him, he was still nervous. What would everyone say when they'd meet Aden?

" We've got over an hour. Well, assuming Aden agrees to sleep for that long", Max reminded him, looking at him with a mischievous sparkle in his blue eyes. " Besides, who would expect a world-noted writer and famous beyblade-instructor – _plus_ former world-champion – to be on time?"

As Max moved on to kiss a much, much lower part of his body, Tyson found it very, very hard to find excuses to make the man stop. " But…", he managed, but Max interrupted with slamming a passionate, demanding kiss to his lips.

" Just shut up already", Max whispered huskily into his ear. " And you'll be very, very well rewarded."

Tyson smirked. " To think you used to be the innocent one of us…" He made a loud moan of pleasure as Max gave his neck a bite.

" I told you to shut up."

* * *

Nadja had a content, serene smile on her lips as she walked towards the beyblade-center next to Tala, her hand in his, head resting against his safe shoulder.

She was so deep in her thoughts that she didn't even notice they hadn't said a word for a long time before Tala spoke. " Nad, are you okay?"

Blinking in mild surprise, she lifted her head and looked at him. " Yeah, of course. Why are you asking?"

" You just seemed so… preoccupied." Smiling, he rubbed her swelled belly – something only he was allowed to do. " Thinking about the twins?"

She nodded with a smirk, also stroking her abdomen. " I just can't help wondering what they'll look like, how they'll turn out…" Suddenly solemn, she looked at him, almost fearful look in her eyes. " Do you think we'll we good parents, even with our past? Do you think we'll know what to do?"

Nodding reassuringly, Tala gently kissed her forehead. " I'm sure, _milyj_. Don't worry."

All of a sudden, sounds of kids laughing reached their ears. Turning their heads, both stopped walking without noticing it as they saw four kids – two girls and two boys – practicing blading around nearby small bey-dish, probably to kill time before the big battle would start. Gasps escaped their lips as they were struck by already faded memories from days of innocence that seemed impossibly distant.

At the moment, the boys were battling each other with the girls excitedly cheering them on. " C'mon Lucian, I know you can beat a rookie like Josh!"

" Kaile, don't you ever talk about my brother like that!" the second girl snarled, then focused on the bladers again. " Josh, let it rip! Show them what you're made of!"

As Nadja managed to rip her attention away from the kids, she noticed that Tala's hold on her hand was much tighter than before, almost painful. Looking at him with surprise in her eyes, she noticed that his eyes were suspiciously watery. " Tala? You alright?" she asked softly.

" Y – yeah", the man almost whispered and hung his head, blinking his eyes.

Understanding the turmoil of memories he was going through (as she was dealing with same), she gave his hand a gentle squeeze, once again leaning her head against his shoulder.

It was still unbearably painful to remember those distant days of childhood, when all had been in place and alright, when… there hadn't been the crushing pain of loss.

" I think we should go", she whispered, blinking. " It's almost time."

Still blinking as well, Tala nodded, not looking at her. " Yeah."

And as they slowly walked on, Josh's blade pushed Lucian's off the dish.

* * *

Inside the huge center, Alissa was walking a nervous hole onto the floor. " What the heck is taking Ray for this long? The battle starts in half an hour!" she snarled, directing her frustration towards Kenny and Emily, who were sitting nearby, holding hands. " I only told him to get a camera, not to pack up all our belongings!"

" Lissa, relax", Kenny told her, a calming look in his brown eyes (that could now be seen, as he'd finally given in and cut his hair). " Pia is like a daughter to Ray. He wouldn't miss this for anything."

What Kenny said was very true. Ever since he'd finally made it back to Japan, Ray had been acting like a real father to Pia, despite all the horrible things he'd gone through – along with trying to sort things out his mother, who was slowly accepting Alissa. He'd even stayed up most of the night before with Pia, Alissa, Kenny and Emily, upgrading Pia's already almost undefeatable blade.

Calming down a little, Alissa finally stopped phasing. " I know", she confessed, then looked at the cute, visibly very much in love couple with a knowing smile. " So, when are you two going to break the news?" she asked, making both blush.

" As soon as you break yours", Kenny replied cunningly.

Just then approaching steps were heard, and they turned their heads to see Bryan and Jelena approaching, hand in hand. " Sorry we're almost late, but all kids wanted to come along", Bryan apologized, worn out. " Trust me, it's not easy to pack up all the fifteen of them."

Eyes lightening up, Emily looked around. " Where are they?"

" Kira managed to heard them into the audience", Jelena replied with a smile, leaning her head against Bryan's shoulder. " Don't worry, you'll get to meet them all after the battle."

Looking at the couple, Alissa couldn't help but smile.

After all they'd been through, Bryan and Jelena had agreed that something good could come out of all the horrors they'd been through. Therefore they'd opened an orphanage for all kids who'd been just as unlucky as they. As one of the six survivals from the fire of the Abbey, somewhat recovered (though scarred) Kira had been a logical option to help them. With all her experience and maturity, she was a great help to all the maltreated kids, who'd in past had no one to trust and lean on to.

And also because of all they'd gone through, the couple hadn't yet gotten married – not even engaged – nor had kids of their own. Already in the early days of their relationship, they'd decided that before making commitments or – much more – becoming parents, they'd have to be fully prepared for it. They wouldn't be that before all emotional scars would be healed – and that was something that might take for many, many years. But they didn't mind: all would be fine as long as they had each other – tied knots or not. And kids… Well, those they already had – at least in a way.

Alissa snapped out of her thoughts when she heard another set of approaching steps, and saw Tala and Nadja rushing towards them. " We should get into the audience", Tala announced. " Dara just called, she'll join us in a minute. Hilary isn't going to make it."

" What about Tyson and Max?" Kenny inquired with a frown.

Nadja smirked. " Knowing those two, they're bound to be late."

" Speaking of the devil", Bryan stated, nodding with his head. His eyes then slowly widened with utter shock. " Holy damn…"

Turning their heads, everyone got a look mimicking his. " I can't believe this…", Tala managed.

Not too far away, Tyson and Max were approaching them, the former seeming somewhat worried and doubtful, the latter grinning widely, proudly, other arm wrapped around Tyson. In the bluenette's arms, there was a gorgeous baby-boy.

" Oh my gosh!" Emily gasped, looking at the baby. " Is he…?"

Max nodded, eyes filled with unimaginable pride. " Yeah. He's been legally ours as of yesterday."

And at that, complete chaos ensued as they all wanted to see and hold the baby: even Tala and Bryan could be seen cooing at the newcomer. Pretty much every other baby would've been startled by the hassle, but Aden seemed to be enjoying of the attention.

" Real mini-Tyson", Nadja teased with a huge grin.

Tyson tried to squint threateningly, but it was spoiled by a loud laughter.

Just then, Jelena happened to take a look at her watch and gasped slightly. " I'm sorry to interrupt, but the battle starts in fifteen minutes!"

Feeling another wave of excitement, perhaps even worry, Alissa squeezed her fists into tight balls, eyes filled with determination. " Why don't we get going, then?"

* * *

In he and Alissa's house, Ray gave sound on contentment when finally finding the camera, which in some miraculous way had found its way into under a bed. " There you are…", he murmured, picking it up.

Getting back up to his feet, he suddenly paused in motion when noticing that there was also something else on the floor that shouldn't have been there. Feelings that hadn't crossed his mind for a long time flooded over him like a tidal-wave when he carefully, almost gently, lifted up a framed picture, blinking his golden eyes.

The picture was taken about three weeks after the Bladebreakers had been formed. Tyson and Max – stood on front – were grinning like maniacs, arms wrapped around each other's shoulders (for the time being sweetly oblivious to their feelings towards each other). Ray – also smiling, though not as widely – was stood nearby (with much longer hair than nowadays), with shyly smiling Kenny right next to him. Behind everyone stood Kai with his infamous glare, arms crossed over his chest.

Ray gave a shuttering sigh, brushing the picture with his finger. " So much lost…", he whispered. After some moments, he managed to get up and gently placed to picture to the table from where it'd fallen. He remained staring at it for a while, many memories – joyful and painful – resurfacing, making it hard to resist tears.

Suddenly remembering the approaching battle, he took a quick look at his watch and cursed colorfully in Chinese. " Damnit… I'm a dead man…"

* * *

In a locker-room of the beyblade-center, a thirteen-years-old girl with long, red hair on a plait took about thousandth look at the clock hanging on the wall, and squinted her mahogany eyes when noticing that the battle wouldn't begin in another five minutes. " Damnit… Why can't it start already?"

" Pia, would you please stop staring at that clock? You're making _me_ nervous, and I'm not the one who's going to battle", a girl at her age with short, smoke-colored hair that just reached her chin and piercing green eyes growled, rubbing her temple.

Pia gave a deep sigh and closed her eyes, to no avail trying to calm down. " Sorry, Bailey. This is just so… overwhelming."

" It'll be okay, Pia", Dimitrei – who was the third member of their team – stated reassuringly from his seat. " Whatever comes, you're ready for it. You've been practicing nonstop for months – there's nothing that could stop you."

Pia gave her stepbrother a small smile. " Thanks, Dimi."

With that, she took her blade from her pocket, for a second admiring it. In her opinion, it was the most beautiful thing ever existed: it was silvery with golden stripes decorating it, and – especially after all the upgrading done the night before – carried unbelievable strength. But what was even stronger was inside of it…

' _Riallin… Do you think we can do this?_' she asked in a nearly frantic thought.

' _Yes, Master_', the bit-beast replied without an ounce of doubt. ' _This is what you've been preparing yourself for two years. You are ready._'

Pia's head snapped back up in slight frighten when the door was suddenly ripped open. In the doorway stood a boy with orange Mohawk, who was about one or two years older than the rest of them. He was Zach, the fourth and last member of their team. " Okay, Pia. It's show-time", the boy announced, navy-blue eyes burning.

* * *

" And here's the battle we've all been waiting for! Defending champion-team Hurricane Blade versus Blade Revolution, and boy, do we have the biggest audience in the history! I'm Brad Best, and sweating with me is AJ Topper."

" 'Sweating'? At least I'm using deodorant, unlike someone I know…"

" Uh… Anyway, so far we've seen a tournament so intense that there's never been such in the entire history of beyblading. Two days ago, Zach from Revolution lost against Hurricane's Tyler in a battle that was almost a tie, and yesterday we witnessed Dimitrei taking a breathtaking victory against Revolution's Riley."

" Yes, indeed! And today, it's team-captains Pia and Cain facing of! This'll be exciting: as everyone knows, Pia's bit-beast Riallin is the sister of Galeon, the former White Tiger-captain Lee's bit-beast. But Cai'n beast Ghennai is made of pure ice! So who will become the new champion? Will a new page of Beyblade-history be written? Will…?"

" Err… I'm going to make AJ shut up, because here begins the historical battle!"

" Hey, don't you dare touch my microphone…!"

* * *

On the arena (or technically, above it) DJ Jazzman stood on a platform. " Welcome to the Beyblade World Championships! This is the battle you've all been waiting for! Today, we will find out the new champion!" He had to pause for a while as the crowd cheered in near-hysteria. " Alright, give a big hand, because here are the teams!"

The noise was almost enough to explode anybody's ears as the two teams walked into the arena – Blade Revolutions led by Pia, Hurricane Blade by Cain, who had grey (almost black) hair that covered the other one of his ocean-colored eyes.

Both captains had looks of sheer determination in their eyes as they walked up to the dish, ignoring the cheers of their team-mates and audience. All that existed to them was the dish, their blades and each other. " Despite everything, I'll fight with all I've got", Pia announced, eyes flaming.

Cain smirked. " I'm expecting nothing less of you, kitty."

" Bladers ready?" Jazzman inquired, receiving two nods. " Alright then! 3… 2… 1… LET IT RIP!"

And with that, the two blades – Pia's silvery, and Cain's ash-colored – flew to the dish, immediately taking contact that made sparks fly. Gasps cold be heard from the audience as the blades cruelly contacted over and over again, giving showers of sparks.

No one knew for how long the breathtaking encounter had lasted until both bladers summoned their bit-beast.

" RIALLIN!"

" GHENNAI!"

And the audience couldn't help but gasp again as the beasts emerged, not knowing which one of them to admire more. Riallin – a huge, undeniably magnificent female lion with shining, silvery -and sapphire-blue colored fur – roared and revealed her massive fangs and claws, fierce auburn eyes flashing challengingly. On the opposite side was Ghennai – enormous, extremely beautiful eagle with purple and crimson feathers, and a beak ready to rip apart anything, hazardous look in his glowing, golden eyes.

Both beasts gave cries of determination as they stormed towards each others, and sparks once again flew in a huge shower as the blades and beasts met with crushing force.

Pia grit her teeth as Riallin took a nasty hit. Noticing this, Cain smirked. " Ready to give in?"

Eyes filled with fire, she shook her head. " Never", she growled. " Riallin, PYRO SHOWER!"

" Oh, so we're playing tough? Very well then." Visible eye blazing, Cain looked at his bit-beast, hands clenched into tight balls. " Ghennai, fight her! BLIZZARD WING!"

When the two bit-beasts stormed towards each other and crushed together, a deafening bang and blinding flash of red and pale-blue light filled the entire stadium as fire and ice intertwined. Everyone in the audience had to cover their eyes, some screamed in frighten, not used to seeing battles like this.

When the light subsided and it was possible to see something, audience found Pia fallen to her other knee, panting heavily through gritted teeth, eyes still flaming despite the pain going through her. Opposite her Cain stood and watched the two blades that were still spinning, though damaged, Pia's more so than his.

Face expressionless, Cain looked at the trembling girl who couldn't make herself get up to her feet. His heart wrenched with ache and sorrow. " Still refusing to surrender?"

" I told you… that I'd… _never_ give… up… didn't I?" Audience cheered as Pia slowly and unsteadily got up to her weak, still shivering knees. " This battle… isn't over yet…"

" As you please." As Cain watched, the blades once again crushed together, Pia's almost getting pushed off the dish. " Just remember that I gave you a chance."

Suddenly finding new strength from deep within her, Pia gave a smirk. " I will", she promised.

" Now… Time to finish the job", Cain stated, looking at his beast. " Ghennai, FROST TEMPEST!"

" I told you this isn't over!" Pia roared, eyes flaming. " Riallin, FLAME HURRICANE!"

Fire and ice tangled with a force unlike anything that had ever been seen before, and both bladers screamed as the immense blow that erupted tossed them to the floor, and a strangest wave of extreme heat and coldness caressed them. The blinding light once again erupting forced them to shield their eyes, and for a long moment it was impossible to see a thing.

Everyone in the stadium held their breaths as the light begun to fade, and there was a sound of beyblade hitting stone-floor. When they could finally see, everyone noticed that there was only one blade spinning on the dish, glowing triumphantly.

The battle was over.

Pia's eyes were squeezed tightly shut while she remained on the floor, panting as she desperately tried to catch her wheezing breath. She almost yelped in frighten when a hand suddenly touched hers softly. Opening her eyes, she saw Cain offering her his hand, smirking once again. " Great battle, kitty", he complimented.

Also smirking, she let him help her up. Her heart leapt as she felt the electrifying warmth radiating from him. " Did you expect anything less?"

Eyes softening, Cain shook his head. " Never."

" Alright folks, we have a new champion!" DJ Jazzman announced, voice lazed with excitement caused by the breathtaking battle. " The winner goes to… PIA!"

* * *

" Oh my gosh, this battle will definitely remain in Beyblade-history! During my career, I've never had a chance to witness anything like this before! I just don't have words to describe this – the arena looks like it'd been struck by a atomic bomb! Can you believe this, AJ? Uh… AJ?"

" One heck of a match, Brad. But I'm still not talking to you."

" Alright, eh… This was Brad Best and AJ Topper. Goodnight."

* * *

It seemed to take for ages before Pia had finally gotten bandaged, and passed reporters plus the ecstatic crowd of fans that was screaming her name.

Walking through empty, finally blissfully silent corridors, she allowed her thoughts to whir.

_Beyblade champion. First female one at that._

A grin came to her features.

_Not bad. Not bad at all._

' _We did it, Riallin, we actually did it. Thank you._'

" So you did take the victory, then. Can't say I'm surprised", suddenly came a familiar, deep male-voice, filled with pride for her. " Congratulations, Pia. You really do deserve the title."

Turning her head, she smiled widely when seeing the familiar man with long, deep-blue plait and burgundy eyes leaning onto a nearby wall with his walking-stick. " Uncle-Kai! I thought you wouldn't make it!"

Smirking, he shook his head. " Nothing would've made me miss this."

Just then, there were sounds of various approaching steps and happy jittering as the others walked up to them. After the worst chaos of congratulating Pia and asking if she was alright passed, they noticed Kai in the shadows. " We thought you were supposed to be working", Tyson noted.

Kai shook his head. " It took for ages, but I managed to convince Wyatt that all the paperwork can wait until later." Being a private detective (as was Kai), Wyatt had been smart enough not to try and stop him. The years of working with Kai had taught the young man that the formally dual hared man was… well, not exactly pleasant company when pissed off.

While the others got back to Pia, Dara walked up to Kai, nuzzling her head against his chest. He reflexively started stroking her silken hair, but frowned when sensing the aura of something being wrong around her. That was alarming – especially when it was the anniversary of her sister's death. " You okay?" he murmured, so quietly that the others didn't hear.

She nodded against his chest. " Yeah… I just visited Mischa's grave and got a little…" She gestured towards her slightly puffy eyes.

He nodded, though she couldn't see it, and kissed her hair comfortingly. " It'll be okay", he whispered. " I promise."

As she lifted her head, she had a small smile upon her face. " I suppose I have no other choice but to trust on it, then."

* * *

(1) / _Kai had a frown of deep suspicion upon his face as he followed prosecutor Tshadov into the woman's surprisingly small office. " What's going on?"_

_The woman's face showed worry and tension. " I just received a message", she replied. " As it appears, Voltaire's been making some… rather interesting phone-calls from the prison. Does name Valdo Tarenski ring a bell to you?"_

_Shivers of disgust immediately crept down Kai's spine. " He… worked for Voltaire, tortured and murdered", he spat through gritted teeth. " He was the worst scamp there was in the Abbey."_

" _Actually, he was much more", Tshadov revealed, going through some papers. " According to my investigations, Valdo was – just like Boris – one of Voltaire's most trusted gunmen. And it seems that he had even more power in Biovolt than Boris did. Voltaire also didn't keep him in a leash as he did with Boris: Valdo has the authority to fulfill his assignments however he pleases. Which, unfortunately, means that he's also far more dangerous than Boris."_

_Kai's eyes flashed. " You haven't found him yet, have you?"_

_Tshadov shook her head desolately. " But as I said, Voltaire called him, and… gave him a task." She gulped thickly. " Kai… He was assigned to kill you."_

_Once again, chills ran down Kai's spine. " What should I do?"_

" _We've already started out a mission to protect you. " Tshadov's voice was filled with firmness and determination. " In three days, you'll take a flight to Russia. It's known that Valdo is a skilled technician, so we've given him false information concerning that trip. He won't hesitate striking then." Again, she gulped nervously. " But… We'll have to make it look like he succeeded."_

_Kai's eyes widened as he begun to understand. " You're going to… let everyone think I'm dead?"_

_The woman's eyes filled with pain. " I'm sorry, but it's the only way to protect you."_

_Kai's head was spinning. This would mean… that he'd be taken away from Dara, their baby, his family and friends… His eyes flamed with fury. " I won't do it", he hissed. His existence was the only thing Voltaire hadn't managed to take away from him – there was no way in hell he'd give up on it now! " I won't let you take my life away!"_

_He already turned to leave, when Tshadov's grief-filled voice made him halt. " Kai… Even if I'd be able to protect you in some other way, you know well that Voltaire isn't giving up. Your friends – Dara, Nadja and everyone else – are then also in the fire-line. Is that what you want?" As he turned his head in disbelief, he found the woman's eyes full of sadness. " Kai, please. Do this – for their sake."_

_It took just about everything Kai had not to cry. Ian, Spencer, Ivan, his parents… They'd all been his family, they'd all been stolen away, used as tools of torture by Voltaire…_

_Gosh, it'd hurt so much to lose them… It'd almost killed him… He couldn't let any more innocent people suffer, not when he had a choice. He wouldn't jeopardize them._

_Eyes defeated and almost teary, he nodded. " Alright."_

_Tshadov repeated the gesture, seeming miserable as well. " The trial… should end in a month or so. After that… I think you'll be able to return to them. But before that…" She trailed off with a sigh. " I'm sorry."_

_**¨**_

_And three days later, Kai stood in a jet, watching the group of people below him, just barely managing to hold back tears. If only he wouldn't have to do this to them…_

_Would they figure it out? Would they know? He'd given so many signs…_

_Would they know that he wasn't about to break his promise?_

_As the doors slowly closed before him, separating him from the people outside, a soul tear slid to his cheek._ /

* * *

After those events, Kai had chosen to make his witness-protection name Ken Ichiami official: as long as it was up to him, he would _never_ even hear the painful name Hiwatari again, and only his closest friends knew him as Kai. To everyone else, Kai Hiwatari had been gone for eight years, and that was the way he wanted things to remain. He had even had his black shark-fin tattoos removed to wipe away at least one memoir of Voltaire's.

Smiling, Kai gave Dara a peck on cheek. " I never break promises."

" Hey, are you two coming or what?" Bryan's voice suddenly caught their attention. Turning their heads, they noticed that the others were leaving. " Mr. Dickinson just called. The celebration for Pia's victory starts in ten minutes."

Kai nodded, slipping his hand into Dara's. " Yeah, we're coming", he replied, starting to limp after the others. " Just remember that I'm not exactly a roadrunner with this damn leg."

He was just about to walk off, when he suddenly froze, sensing something chillingly familiar he'd thought long gone. His eyes widened, and a small gasp escaped his throat as he slowly, slowly turned his head. For a short moment, he could've sworn he saw a shadow a of reddish-black phoenix-bird disappear to behind a corner, and this small screech echoed into his ears.

His eyes widened even more. " Impossible…", he whispered to himself. " I set you free… It can't be you…"

" Kai?" Dara, who was still holding his shaking hand, asked, seeming concerned.

" Dad?" came Hakuoh's worried voice. " Are you okay?"

Blinking his eyes – as if waking up from some trance – Kai looked at his family, who were giving him worried looks. It took a while before he managed to reply. " Y – yeah", he murmured, unsure. Turning his head again, he noticed that there was no trace of the bird in the darkness. " Just… shadows." It wasn't until then he noticed the baby in Max's arms, and blinked in surprise. " I suppose there's some catching up I need to do."

* * *

Some hours later, the entire gang (along with many, many other people) was gathered into a huge ballroom, everyone laughing and having a good time. About million pictures had been taken, and there'd been a infinity of speeches. Now, it was finally time for relaxation.

As the hustle begun to cease, the old 'comrades' – as they still called themselves – gathered into a quiet spot. " You guys… Do you ever think you lost a lot when you quitted beyblading?" Ray suddenly asked, after a small silence that'd been caused by memories. " I mean… Of course I'm happy as a schoolteacher and everything, but…" He trailed off, unable to find suitable words.

Everyone understood. For them, retirement had been their own choice – or well, semi-own for Kai. But Ray… After the boy had been dragged into his home-village, his father had forced him to quit blading, went even as far as destroying his blade – and body. All he could've done was helplessly listen to the rumors while the others (accompanied by their new reinforcement Hilary) had first fought against Gideon and Dr. B's team Psykick (which had ended up to deaths of the two men, and freedom of the team-members), then Dr. Zagart's horrifyingly strong creation BEGA (formed by Daichi, Garland, Ming-Ming, Crusher and – shockingly to Kai, who'd watched from audience – Brooklyn, who was against all odds alive) – fighting for the entire fate of the world of blading. Althought they'd won, it'd came close, and after those horrifying events the Bladebreakers had decided that it was definitely time to retire. Dr. Zagart, on the other hand, had mysteriously disappeared underground, his team-members having turned their backs on him.

" I know what you mean, in a way at least", Tyson confessed. " Even though I teach kids blading, sometimes… it just isn't enough. Especially when I'm watching pretty much everyone else around blading." The boy's blue eyes suddenly flashed with excitement. " Hey, you guys know what would be an amazing idea? A bey-battle between the former Bladebreakers and Demolition Gang!" (2)

Tala smirked. " Are you that eager to get your ass kicked?"

" I think it's time to move pass that point", Kai announced, a flash of something distant in his eyes that no one (except for Dara and Nadja, perhaps) noticed.

After all he'd been through because of blading, Kai had no intention to get back to the sport. Besides, even with Voltaire and Boris out of the way, he didn't want to get into spotlight ever again: he'd spent far too much of time trying to make himself invisible to show up in public again. He didn't want to get into the hands of nosy press ever again – especially when he still had a feeling that there was someone keeping an eye on him and his family…

" Kai's right", Nadja commented, using his real name quietly with the press present. Smiling, she looked on as Pia walked up to Cain, who was stood by the doorway, seeming very shy. Her smile widened as the couple disappeared. " Besides… It's time to give room for the next generation."

Also having seen the couple, Alissa seemed deeply distressed. " Do you guys think those two will one day realize how they feel for each other?"

Ray gave her head a comforting kiss. " I'm sorry honey, but it's bound to happen."

Alissa sighed. " That day… It's really a shame to kill such a nice boy."

Just then a waiter walked up to them, offering a plate filled with champagne-glasses. " Champagne?"

" No thanks", Nadja replied, subconsciously touching her huge belly.

Alissa seemed to blush slightly, and refused to meet anybody's eyes as she spoke. " I… I have to say no as well."

In an instant everybody's attention was on her. Pieces beginning to click, Ray's eyes grew huge with bewilderment. " Lissa… Why…?" No more words would come out.

Gathering all her courage, Alissa looked straight into his golden eyes, trying her hardest to ignore all their audience. " Ray, I… I've been feeling kinda tired and… iffy lately. Raging emotions, dizziness, nausea… Stuff like that." She swallowed. " Four days ago, I… I made some tests." She couldn't hold back a wide grin. " Ray, I'm pregnant."

At first, Ray stared at her, eyes widened with total disbelief. But as the news sunk in, the man let out a yell of utter joy, and took her into his arms, whirling her around. " Oh my God, Lissa…", he repeated, over and over again, unable to find anything else to say, tears of joy threatening to break.

Alissa laughed. " Sweetie, would you please put me down? I'm beginning to feel nauseous…"

Also laughing, Ray obeyed, giving the others room to give their congratulations.

As the most fuss was over, Emily and Kenny shared a look. Receiving a nod of acceptance, Emily spoke hesitantly. " You know… I think there's one more news-flash."

Everybody looked at them. " Yet another baby?" Max suggested.

Emily laughed. " No, not just yet." She showed her finger, which was decorated with a beautiful golden ring. " Just that next summer, I'll be Mrs. Rogers."

Everyone gasped in surprise. " When on earth did this happen?" Jelena exclaimed.

" Five days ago", Kenny replied shyly. " We didn't want to tell earlier because of Pia's battle."

Another storm of congratulations erupted. As it was finally over, Tyson lifted his champagne-glass with a huge smirk. " Well, it seems that we have four reasons to celebrate tonight."

" Ditto!" everyone agreed.

* * *

Many hours later, Kai silently emerged the huge building, inhaling long breath of cold, fresh night-air. It took for a couple of moments before he realized he wasn't alone: he gave a surprised look to Mr. Dickinson, who was stood by the railing, looking at the leaves slowly drifting by with a serene look upon his old face. Not asking any questions, he stood beside the man, drifting into his own thoughts.

Neither knew for how long the silence had lasted until Mr. D spoke. " You do realize that they'll be worried when they notice you're missing, don't you?" the man asked, amused.

Both knew it was true: eight years had passed, but whenever Kai closed a door behind him, the rest of the gang still feared he might never return. And thus, there was always a huge interrogation whenever he went out. But… For some reason, the thought of approaching hearing didn't bother Kai too much at the moment.

" I know", he replied, looking at the leaves carried gently by chilly night-wind. " I just… needed some fresh air."

Mr. D smiled knowingly. " Still not used to the idea of all these people around you?"

" It's… not just that." Not self noticing it, he squinted his eyes at the rather unpleasant memories, and subconsciously touched the series of numbers tattooed onto the back of his neck. " I just wondered… if this fight can ever be really over." _If the shadows can ever be defeated…_

Mr. D was just about to ask what he meant, when Hakuoh suddenly emerged, burgundy eyes shining. " Dad, you should come inside. They're starting to take pictures!" The boy looked at Mr. D, whom he'd always considered a part of his family (which, in fact, the man really was). " You too, Mr. D."

Kai smiled softly to his son and nodded. " We'll be there in a second."

As the boy went back inside, Kai could feel the elder looking at him. " I know it's hard to overcome your past… But you do realize that we're all your friends, right? You can trust us."

Smiling slightly, Kai shook his head. " No, not friends."

Blinking in utter confusion, Mr. D watched as the young man slowly limped towards the door, going back inside. " What then?"

Opening the door, Kai said a single word in Russian. " _Sjemja_." With that, he stepped in and closed the door softly behind him.

A smile crept to Mr. D's lips as he knew what the word meant.

Family.

* * *

Much later, after a lot of pictures and other hassle, Hakuoh was practicing blading in the backyard of his home, eyes filled with concentration as he watched his beautiful, dark-blue- and ocean-colored blade spinning.

In a couple of years, he'd decided, he'd be the one declared a champion.

All of a sudden, his focus was cut as there was this whisper in the air – or was it inside his head?

' _Hakuoh._'

He blinked, stunned, perhaps even slightly frightened. Looking around, he frowned when seeing no one. " Who's there?" he demanded and called his blade back, fists clenching into balls.

' _I've been waiting for you._'

Frown deepening, he lifted his gaze – and gave a loud gasp as he saw a glimpse of a breathtakingly beautiful, reddish-black bird in the sky. This strange connection immediately formed between them.

His eyes widened. " What… are you?" he whispered, voice shivering.

' _Soon, Hakuoh._'

" Hakuoh!" the voice of his little sister's startled him. Turning his gaze, he saw the girl stood by the doorway. " It's late. Mommy and daddy want you to come inside."

He nodded, still too dazed to find words. As Malaya went, he lifted his gaze for one more time, and felt a bang of something close to disappointment as the strange bird was gone.

From a limousine nearby, two pairs of eyes watched as the child ran back inside. " It is finally happening, Master Zagart", Valdo stated, eyes flashing with satisfaction and anticipation.

Zeo's green eyes flashed as well. " Yes." His hand squeezed tightly around a chillingly beautiful, black blade that had some blood-red decorating it. " He's got the taste of the connection now… Soon, he'll know just how powerful he could become. He'll learn that there's no fighting against Black Dranzer's temptation. Then… we'll help him follow his _true destiny_."

_And after that, he'll help me collect the power I need._ He glared at his hands, eyes filled with disgust._ I'll finally get what I deserve. I'll get to taste what it's like to be human._

Sensing something menacing, Kai – who'd been helping Dara in kitchen – frowned and quickly looked out the window. But the limousine had already disappeared.

* * *

Meanwhile, five people gathered into a huge building nearby, all solemn looks upon their faces.

" I understood you had a good reason to call us in", Mystel stated, crossing his arms over his chest.

" Yes." Hilary's eyes shone with fear and determination. " Hakuoh… is growing stronger. I… I could feel it, when I saw him today. Soon, he'll be ready."

Mariam's green eyes widened with near-terror. " It's beginning", he whispered.

For a moment, it was completely silent as they all pondered over the horrifying realization.

" Hakuoh… According to what we've seen, he's even stronger than his father", Salima whispered, voice shivering with fear. " If he and Black Dranzer are ever united…" _It would be the end of the world._

Mystel's cyan blue eyes flashed with steely determination as he shook his head. " No. That is never going to happen. I won't let it."

" Perhaps I can help you with that." Turning their heads, they saw Hiro stood by the doorway, brown eyes burning. " With Kai, I managed to train my brother to become a champion. The two of us can definitely make Hakuoh strong enough to resist the temptation."

Mystel arched an eyebrow. " You seem to trust Kai awfully lot." Understanding flashed pass his face. " Is it because of Brooklyn?"

Reflexively, Hiro squeezed his hand around the amazing, silvery ring he still held on his finger – although the giver of it had died for over a year ago. Tremendous pain filled his eyes as memories flooded into his mind.

For so many years ago, having been in Russia with his father – when he'd been just twelve – he'd helped scarred, almost dead Brooklyn escape the Abbey. Back then, this bond had formed between them – despite the fact that Hiro hated everyone in the Abbey because of what'd happened to his mother, and Brooklyn's heart… belonged to someone else. (No matter how much the thought hurt him, he didn't think Brooklyn had ever completely forgotten about Kai.) Some years later, he'd met the boy as a member of BEGA – and they'd noticed that the bond was still strong between them. The night after Tyson had defeated Brooklyn, he'd given the boy one fire-red rose – a sign of promise that'd lasted until the boy had died into his arms, struck down by Valdo's bullet.

He'd never forget Brooklyn's last words.

_" Please, do what I couldn't… Protect Kai… Keep him safe from that beast…"_ (3) 

" I gave him my word", Hiro whispered, distant look in his eyes. " And I will keep it, whatever it takes." Such fire lit into his eyes that it scared the five others. " I will protect Hakuoh from those bastards. I will make sure that this new generation will be strong enough to stand up against Zeo, Valdo and even Black Dranzer – and to destroy them for good."

And after that night, a generation of new bladers started out their fight against the shadows.

* * *

**Owari.**

* * *

(Slumps down in total shock.) I… just can't believe it. 35 chapters, 280/290 pages… and it's over? This just goes way over my head!

Heh, I couldn't bring myself to kill Kai, now could I? I figured that after all this time you've been sticking around, it would've been betraying you guys. And I also chose to give you a semi-open ending – like bladz-azeri said, a story can never really end. I agree. There are always new people living on. Besides, a battle between good and evil can never be over, because they can't destroy each other. (profound, huh?) (Btw, I hope this ending wasn't too open. I just figured it was logical to cut this to where the story of next generation begins. After all, as many writers say, "that's a whole another story".)

Gosh, I have about million thoughts in my mind right now! First of all, thank you from the bottom of my heart for sticking around for all this time, and especially bothering to review this not-so-little silly fic of mine! Your backup seriously meant a world to me – this would've **never** been completed without you! (**HUGE** hugs) I still think you guys will never guess your true value.

And, as I've said, I'm retiring now. (sniff) If I'll come up with an idea – or just end up missing you guys too much – I might write another one-shot or something. But as for the rest…

Okay, since I really, really suck at saying byes, let's make it clean and simple. Once again thank you, you have no idea of how much I'll miss you! Just remember that even if I'd never write another fic, I'll still be watching over you guys – and I'll also be checking up on the reviews you might send. (NOT hinting or anything…)

So… That's about it. _Sayonara_, and _arigatou_! 'Love ya!

(Btw, all those familiar names are really the characters from Beyblade – even Steven. Funny how their destinies changed, huh? Now, you saw what Zeo would've become if he hadn't met Tyson – or well, in my opinion, at least.

And in case your wondering, all 'mistakes' – with team-members, team-creators etc – are purely intentional. I just wanted to have a bit of fun with experimenting.) (grins)

(Oh, and I hope you still remember Jax. He was that guy who almost stole Max's heart – and nearly drove Tyson insane – earlier in this story. And Kira was that Abbey-kid, introduced in chapter 11.)

(And in case you're curious, the meanings of the kid's names:

Hakuoh, as I said, means 'white phoenix'. Aden means 'fire', and Malaya means 'free'. Pia means 'beloved', 'devout' and 'reverent' – a lot of meanings, huh?)

(1) Remember, this explains what Tshadov wanted to tell Kai alone in the previous chapter.

(2) No longer Demolition Boys with Nadja in. (grins)

(3) Naturally, he was talking about Black Dranzer.

(Final flash: this a/n took a page to make. Uh-huh…)


End file.
